Vishwanathan Raja

Cultural Politics and the Teaching of English at the Tertiary Level: an Empirical Study of Esl Classrooms Vishwanathan Raja

This book sets out to explore a phenomenon identified as impacting English teaching in EFL/ESL contexts: cultural politics. A fascinatingly complex gamut of considerations informs the export of curriculum, pedagogy and experts from countries where English is a first language to countries where English is a second/ foreign language, leading to accusations of linguistic hegemony and unabashed endorsement of Western cultural agenda. India presents a conundrum insofar as English teaching goes: the curriculum designers are Indian, teaching materials are produced locally and the English teachers are Indian. That even in such a context cultural politics could be lurking in the backdrop, erecting a gate keeping system to deny English to those who need it most, through certain teaching/ learning practices or a top down curriculum , is the point of departure for the work. The book explores through Indian eyes some of the issues pertaining to cultural politics, making allowance for the different contexts and circumstances in which English is taught and learnt. It is meant for anyone looking for a contemporary perspective on issues in English teaching at the tertiary level in India.