Transforming Lives: English Education and the Marginalized Women of India

Somedutta Mukharjee
Assistant Professor in English, CDOE, The University of Burdwan, West Bengal, India

DOI: https://doi.org/10.52756/ieldps.2022.e01.011

Keywords: English Education, Women‟s Emancipation, Marginalized Women, Colonial India, Present Scenario.

Abstract:
English, the language of the British colonizers, the erstwhile instrument of slavery and oppression, proved to be a boon for Indians. Apart from creating solidarity among the nationalists and helping achieve a pan-Indian identity, English proved to be instrumental in transforming the lives of Indian women in manifold ways. English education has been immensely beneficial especially for those women who experience the intersection of class, caste, race and gender on an almost daily basis. Replacing the existing exclusionary system of education in India, monopoly of a few- the upper caste male, English education opened up new horizons and vistas for both the savarna and the avarna women, gave them new voices and representational spaces. This paper attempts to examine and critically analyze the impact of English education, from the days of its inception till this day, on the lives of Indian women in general and the marginalized lower-class and lower-caste women in particular. I will attempt to explore to what extent English has helped achieving a more egalitarian society in India. Along with the positive effects of English education, the other side of the coin has also to be taken into account. I will also discuss the role of English in creating a new kind of caste system, with marginalized women being its worst victims.