INVITED SPEAKERS

Global Language, Colonial Discourse and World Englishes

Pradeep A. Dhillon

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Edward Said coupled his critique of European discourse to issues of representation generally. While sharing Said’s concern with the marginalization of non-Western cultures, many anthropologists, and historians have been critical of the details of Said’s position. Cultures, they argue, are not hermetically sealed. Cultures have always exerted mutual influence. In like manner, World Englishes discourse undercuts the notions of “culture” and cultural relativism while it retains the emphasis on particularity . In this essay I will argue that World Englishes opens the way to think about global institutions without falling into linguistic hegemony. Furthermore, concern for the welfare of sub-groups (or individuals) within marginalized groups in a global context suggests that particularity, when taken all the way down, opens space for ecological educational and linguistic policies.