Schooling the National Imagination examines English Studies in the school curriculum in India and, using this as a lens, also explores the shifts in the construction of nationalism, modernity, and identity in independent India. Discussing the national education policy in general and the English language policy in particular, this book traces the development of a specific ideology of postcoloniality in India. The book examines state-produced school textbooks, identifies how English curriculum both reflects and constructs identity in particular ways, and also discusses classroom practice in schools to consider the ways in which ideology shapes pedagogic practice.
Combining theories of power in education with questions of postcolonial policy, language identity, and cultural identity as they are made visible in textbooks and practice, the book moves between nationalist policy, textbooks, and classroom ethnography to provide a swathe that is perhaps not covered elsewhere. This work will prove invaluable to students and teachers of education-related studies, English language studies, postcolonial studies, and cultural studies, policymakers dealing with education, as well as general readers looking for practical insights into the language issue and the spread of English as a global language.
