ABSTRACT
English and English education majorly arrived in India via the British colonial rule. As the language of the rulers, and of administration and governance, English was a significant asset one could have. English education was seen as a way to progress and prosperity right since the colonial rule. However, for the most part, English and EMI were limited to a very small privileged section of society. The local responses to the introduction of English and EMI education were varied – opposition out of concerns of safeguarding local languages and educational practices, a tool of political resistance against the rulers, support as the means of reforming and modernising a superstitious orthodox society, and importantly, crucial means of achieving social justice and equity. These contradictory perspectives on English and EMI – some rejecting and others welcoming them – continue to impact policies and practices in the post-Independence India. This chapter looks at the association of English and EMI with social justice and equity in contemporary India and traces its history and genesis to various social phenomena during early British colonial rule. There are important political, cultural, and social strands of this association that have important implications for ELE policies and practice.
