Linguistic nationalism, political interests, and economic rationalities shaping language policy and the position of English in Bangladesh

Drawing on historical perspectives, this article focuses on the macro-level language policy of Bangladesh. We illustrate how different ideologies and interests shaped the status of the English language within this polity. Taking a qualitative approach, our document analysis revealed three themes which include ‘formation of national identity’, ‘Bengalization’, and ‘liberalization and instrumentalization’. The findings suggest that while ‘formation of national identity’ and ‘Bengalization’ – underpinned by linguistic nationalism – were dominant forces that almost bailed out English from the socio-economic and educational domains, globalization has weakened these forces since the 1990s. In the context of ‘liberalization and instrumentalization’, English has gained a much stronger position as a tool for Bangladesh’s economic development and global competitiveness in a neoliberal world. We argue that analysing macro-political events and underpinning ideologies and interests is critical in understanding how language policy and the position/status of English are shaped by specific historical and political events.