Postcoloniality, Critical Pedagogy, and English Studies in India

Mapping the Terrain

We in India have a complex relationship with the legacy of English both as a language and as a literary discipline. This legacy, a product of both colonialism and postcoloniality, is also entwined with the global status of English today in the wake of technological revolution, especially in the form of the World Wide Web, Internet networks, and e-mail.¹ Although only 4 percent of the Indian population uses English on a regular basis, India has the third largest English-speaking population in the world. The Ethnologue database puts this figure at around 50 million who use English as a second language. Not tied to a specific ethnic group or region, English plays an important role as the lingua franca in the country. A wide variety of English is used in India with local and regional flavor starting with "the pukka enunciations of Oxbridge-educated Maharajahs . . . to the near-incomprehensible patois of the slums and streets. But it all remains English, varied and wonderful, as Anthony Burgess puts it, 'A whole language, complete with the colloquialisms of Calcutta and London, Shakespearian archaisms, bazaar whinings, references to the Hindu pantheon, the jargon of Indian litigation and shrill Babu irritability all together'" (Green 1998: 111).²

Even so, English has been overtly politicized in postcolonial India in spite of its constitutional status as an Indian language and as the second official language along with Hindi. The tirade against English in a state like West Bengal, ruled by the Left front, is symbolic in that it is a fight against imperialism. In the northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the slogan "Angreji Hatao" (remove English) has more to it than simply a fight against a colonial legacy. At one level the movement seeks to ensure the superiority of the Hindi language, and at another, it participates in the politics of caste. English is identified with the educated upper caste, politically categorized as the dominant class. They are pitted against the dalits and other marginalized castes that constitute the vote bank of some of the political parties. Nonetheless, globalization has brought in its wake a radical change in the attitudes of people toward English in all walks of life, including those who were earlier opposed to it. Instead of being a symbol of imperialism and identified with a certain class or caste of people, English is now considered as the language of opportunity, thanks to multinational corporations, free trade, and outsourcing of software services. It is one of the most sought after curricular subjects as each state in the country, in spite of the ideological inclinations of the ruling class, has started acknowledging its functional primacy. Mastery of the English language now equates with economic success. This impetus is catalyzed in different ways: for example, English is now a required subject from the first grade in West Bengal and from the third grade in states such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Caste, class, and ideological imperatives apart, the primacy of English in India is marked by three parallel and often overlapping developments: (1) as a language of trade, commerce, and economic opportunity; (2) as a language of communication and creative expression; and (3) as a disciplinary study. The expediency of English as a language for trade, commerce, and economic empowerment in a climate of economic liberalization is caught up with the political class across the ideological divide. Even the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a right-wing political party, has recognized the primacy of the English language and has toned down its anti-English rhetoric, moving away from its advocacy of cultural nationalism borne out by the slogan "Hindi, Hindu, and Swadeshi." English has been commodified to such an extent today that one comes across shops for Spoken English, Business English, and so on in every city in India small or big, training people for the bourgeoning services sector. In spite of occasional political hiccups, English has moved from being the subject of politics to an object of economic empowerment having significant impact on the political economy of the state. From its initial role in...