English Education And The Question Of Indian Nationalism : A Perspective On The Vernacular

This book is as much about English as it is about the vernaculars in India. Working against the nationalist construction of the English-vernacular relationship as oppositional, it argues that the vernacular in India is as much a site for the production of power and privilege as English. It challenges the nationalist characterization of the vernacular as the democratic other of English. By raising questions of caste and class in the context of the vernacular, this book exposes the complicity of both the vernacular and English in cultivating elitism in India.

The book is situated in the context of English Studies research in India. It draws its insights from poststructuralist, postcolonial theory and uses frameworks of Dalit Studies, Gender Studies, Cultural Studies and Subaltern Studies. It will interest those who take an inter-disciplinary approach to the study of literature, history, sociology and politics.

Santosh Dash teaches English at Arts and Commerce College, Savli, Gujarat.