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

TY - JOUR

T1 - Linguistic nationalism, political interests, and economic rationalities shaping language policy and the position of English in Bangladesh

AU - Hoque, Muhammad Azizul

AU - Ali, Maksud

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

PY - 2026/5/24

Y1 - 2026/5/24

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - English in Bangladesh

KW - language ideology

KW - linguistic nationalism

KW - language policy

KW - historical perspectives

U2 - 10.1080/13488678.2026.2677262

DO - 10.1080/13488678.2026.2677262

M3 - Article

SN - 1348-8678

JO - Asian Englishes: An International Journal of the Sociolinguistics of English in Asia/Pacific

JF - Asian Englishes: An International Journal of the Sociolinguistics of English in Asia/Pacific

ER -