The English Vernacular Divide: Postcolonial Language Politics and Practice

The English-Vernacular Divide: Postcolonial Language Politics and Practice offers a critical and nuanced exploration of the role of English in postcolonial communities, with a primary focus on India. Author Vaidehi Ramanathan, who was raised and schooled within the Indian educational system, draws upon her first-hand experiences and an extensive seven-year research project involving both English- and vernacular-medium teachers in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The book's central argument is that English remains a deeply divisive force, standing at the core of class-based inequalities that are often intertwined with gender and caste dimensions. Ramanathan challenges the dominant globalization ideologies which suggest that English, through its localized and 'hybrid' forms, has been stripped of its colonial baggage. Instead, she illustrates how the language creates a chasm between the middle class—who have relatively easy access to English and the power it affords—and the vast majority of 'vernacular-medium' students who are often shut out from full participation in socio-economic transactions. The text examines three interrelated factors impacting this divide: state-wide educational policies regarding the medium of instruction, the pedagogical preference for teaching English literature over practical language skills, and specific curricular practices found in local textbooks. By synthesizing local educational scenes with broader postcolonial theory, the book provides a stirring response to those who maintain that English is now a neutral tool for global resistance, arguing instead that its positioning relative to regional languages continues to foster subordination and unequal value.