Leya Mathew - English Linguistic Imperialism from Below: Moral Aspiration and Social Mobility

English Linguistic Imperialism from Below

CRITICAL LANGUAGE AND LITERACY STUDIES

Series Editors : Professor Alastair Pennycook ( University of Technology, Sydney, Australia ) and Professor Brian Morgan ( Glendon College/York University, Toronto, Canada) and Professor Ryuko Kubota ( University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada )

Critical Language and Literacy Studies is an international series that encourages monographs directly addressing issues of power (its flows, inequities, distributions, trajectories) in a variety of language- and literacy-related realms. The aim with this series is twofold: (1) to cultivate scholarship that openly engages with social, political, and historical dimensions in language and literacy studies, and (2) to widen disciplinary horizons by encouraging new work on topics that have received little focus (see below for partial list of subject areas) and that use innovative theoretical frameworks.

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CRITICAL LANGUAGE AND LITERACY STUDIES: 28

English Linguistic Imperialism from Below

Moral Aspiration and Social Mobility

Leya Mathew

MULTILINGUAL MATTERS

Bristol Jackson

DOI https://doi.org/10.21832/MATHEW9141

Names: Mathew, Leya, author.

Title: English Linguistic Imperialism from Below: Moral Aspiration and Social Mobility/Leya Mathew.

Description: Bristol, UK; Jackson, TN : Multilingual Matters, [2022] | Series: Critical Language and Literacy Studies: 28 | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: The book shows how English has been newly constituted as a dominant language in post-market reform India. Political economic transitions experienced as radical social mobility fuelled intense non-elite desire for English schooling. Rather than English schooling leading to social mobility, new experiences of mobility necessitated English schoolingProvided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021061177 (print) | LCCN 2021061178 (ebook) | ISBN 9781788929141 (Hardback) | ISBN 9781788929134 (Paperback) | ISBN 9781788929158 (PDF) | ISBN 9781788929165 (ePub)

Subjects: LCSH: English languagePolitical aspectsIndia. | English languageSocial aspectsIndia. | English languageStudy and teachingIndia. | English languageStudy and teachingForeign speakers. | Imperialism.

Classification: LCC PE3502.I6 M38 2022 (print) | LCC PE3502.I6 (ebook) | DDC 306.442/21054--dc23/eng/20220314

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021061177

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021061178

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue entry for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN-13: 978-1-78892-914-1 (hbk)

ISBN-13: 978-1-78892-913-4 (pbk)

Multilingual Matters

UK: St Nicholas House, 3134 High Street, Bristol, BS1 2AW, UK.

USA: Ingram, Jackson, TN, USA.

Website: www.multilingual-matters.com

Twitter: Multi_Ling_Mat

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Blog: www.channelviewpublications.wordpress.com

Copyright 2022 Leya Mathew.

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher.

The policy of Multilingual Matters/Channel View Publications is to use papers that are natural, renewable and recyclable products, made from wood grown in sustainable forests. In the manufacturing process of our books, and to further support our policy, preference is given to printers that have FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody certification. The FSC and/or PEFC logos will appear on those books where full certification has been granted to the printer concerned.

Typeset by SAN Publishing Services.

Contents

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My greatest debt is to the mothers, children and teachers who shared their struggles with me. The book is a record of our journey. Raghu Eraviperoor, MA Khader and R Meganathan were co-travelers. Along the way, Nancy Hornberger and Nelson Flores patiently introduced me to Applied Linguistics. Special thanks are also due to Rama Mathew and R. Amritavalli. Getting this book out was hard; it swims against some powerful currents. I am grateful to Anna Roderick and the series editors at Multilingual Matters for seeing value in the book. Thanks also to Flo McClelland, Stanzi Collier-Qureshy and Mythili Devi for shepherding me through the production process.

I gratefully acknowledge funding from the following sources: preliminary research was made possible by a summer travel award from the Center for Advanced Study of India at the University of Pennsylvania. I am also thankful to the American Institute of Indian Studies, whose Junior Fellowship funded part of the fieldwork. A write-up grant from the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation was crucial for the completion of the project.

Before I came into academia, I worked in film and television. Ajay Raina and Sai Paranjpye taught me to value the everyday long before I had heard of ethnography. Once I made the shift to academia, Kathleen Hall taught me how to wrestle with theory meaningfully, and I am forever grateful for that. Ritty Lukose continued to engage with the project long after I finished my dissertation. John Jackson provided support throughout. Fellow graduate students provided friendship and conversation: Matthew Tarditi, Arjun Shankar, Gabriel Dattatreyan, Audrey Winpenny, Sofia Chapparo, Mariam Durrani, Julia McWilliams, Emmerich Davies, Roseann Liu, Kathy Rho, Talar Kaloustian, Mustafa Abdul-Jabbar and Scott Cody.

At the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, Jeebanlata Salam urged me to get started on the book. I have learned much from her. Savitha Suresh, Anu Bittianda, Krupa Rajangam, Varun Bhatta, Abha Rao, Keya Bardalai, Priya Gupta and R. Maithreyi helped me navigate the waters. Special gratitude is also due to Sundar Sarukkai, Carol Upadhya, Hemangini Gupta, Cheshta Arora, Anamika Ajay, Janaki Balakrishnan, Shivali Tukdeo, M. Mayilvaganan, Narendar Pani, Anitha Kurup and Srikumar Menon.