The politics of English language education in postcolonial societies have become a key area of research, especially in light of the reshaping of language policies by neoliberal ideologies throughout the Global South (Rahman and Hu Reference Rahman and Hu2025; Sah Reference Sah2025). Although the frameworks of linguistic imperialism have traditionally helped to understand the hegemonic expansion of the English language, recent studies have placed more emphasis on how marginalized groups can successfully negotiate and avoid dominant language ideologies and institutional policies through agentive language practices (Flores and Rosa Reference Flores and Rosa2023; Phyak Reference Phyak2024). The issues of language, identity and social mobility in South Asian society have been a particular focus due to the complex colonial legacy and the continued stratification of access to English along caste and class lines (Sultana and Fang Reference Sultana and Fang2024). The Identity Reconstruction of Subaltern English Learners: Language, Liberation, and Leadership in South Asia by Hasan and Hussain is a timely and theoretically ambitious work that redirects the analytical prism of structural critiques of English dominance to the restructuring power of language acquisition by non‑elite learners whose lives are shaped by systems of entrenched inequality.

The authors attempt to subvert deficit narratives, according to which subaltern English learners are seen as the passive victims of linguistic imperialism. Based on comprehensive qualitative field research within six South Asian countries – India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka – Hasan and Hussain attempt to record how non‑elite learners in South Asia are actively attempting to recuperate the English language as a means of resistance, dignity, and self‑determined leadership. The target audience includes sociolinguists, language policy scholars, critical pedagogy scholars, South Asian studies scholars, educators, and policymakers concerned with issues of educational equity.

The book is divided into seven chapters: 1. The Imperviousness of English; 2. South Asia’s Tryst with English; 3. Liberative Motivation – The Desire to Be Fully Human; 4. Farewell to Living without Identity; 5. ‘When the Subaltern Speaks in English, She Is Heard!’; 6. English – The Intersection Where Elites and Non‑Elites Meet as Equals; 7. Has English Become a Basic Human Right? Chapter 1 traces the historical preeminence of English as a global lingua franca and its deep roots in South Asian cultures. The authors claim that English has become an essential marker of competence and credibility, serving what they refer to as ‘language apartheid’ and locking out populations other than the elite from routes to social advancement (pp. 24–25). Chapter 2 offers a subtle historical explanation of how English supplanted native languages to become the language of administration, legislation, and education. This chapter complicates the notion that English was forced upon the region by showing that elites limited access to English to maintain their privileged positions.

Chapters 3 and 4 form the heart of the book. Chapter 3 presents the concept of ‘liberative motivation’ to illustrate the unique motivation that drives subaltern learners to learn English to break free of the limiting silos of their classes (pp. 60–85). The authors base their study on Self‑Determination Theory and introduce the Subaltern Self‑Determination and English Acquisition Framework, which explains the multidimensional interaction among autonomy, relatedness, competence, identity, self‑esteem and motivation to learn English. It is a valuable theoretical addition, as this framework builds on existing models of motivation in second language learning to account for the unique circumstances of postcolonial contexts. Chapter 4 explores how English acquisition leads non‑elites to reconstruct their identities, and this is supported by strong evidence that, by acquiring English, subalterns move from a position of ‘no‑identity’ to one in which their identities are recognized and celebrated within society (pp. 110–112).

Chapters 5 and 6 discuss how English relates to leadership and to self‑esteem. Chapter 5 is about the intersectionality of Leadership and English. The authors state that English significantly supports the development of leadership in South Asia, where knowing the language is usually a precondition for the opportunity to implement leadership. Based on rich qualitative data collected through interviews across six South Asian countries, they show how English raises leadership consciousness and increases non‑elites’ ability to represent their communities. They present evidence that English positively affects almost every aspect of leadership, to the extent that, for the Subaltern, learning English is an exercise in leadership development itself. Chapter 6 continues this discussion by analyzing the self‑esteem of non‑elites, who show seriousness only when speaking English. The authors use Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to explain how English has emerged as a primary component in the self‑concept and mental well‑being of people in the region. Almost all non‑elites in this study affirmed that without knowing English, a life of dignity, self‑respect, and inclusion is almost impossible in South Asian society.

Chapter 7 is both a rhetorical and the concluding chapter. It combines the book’s central arguments and presents an insubordinate proposal for a new conceptualization of English access as a fundamental human right in contemporary South Asia. In a world where meaningful employment and livelihood opportunities are increasingly dependent on English proficiency, Hasan and Hussain argue that being denied access to quality English education constitutes a form of capability deprivation, thereby breeding social exclusion and economic marginalization. They suggest that knowledge of English helps increase respect for the mother tongue and that English may be a strong supporter of the rights of indigenous languages.

Based on extensive fieldwork in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, the authors present the perspectives of subaltern learners whose experiences are generally marginalized in the literature. The most exacting comment, a statement that summarizes the entire subject about English and Subaltern identity in South Asia, was given by Satnam: ‘English has given me a real identity. English has helped me show my real self. English has liberated me. It has totally changed everything’ (p. 86). These testimonies demonstrate the transformative power of learning English to allow marginalized groups to reclaim their voices and identities and make their mark in spaces they never thought possible.

Nevertheless, there are some critical aspects of the study that are worth consideration. Chapter 7 in the volume is more about polemics than a meaningful analytical discussion of scholarship on linguistic rights. While the authors note Canagarajah’s (Reference Canagarajah1999) methodological critique of Phillipson’s linguistic imperialism hypothesis, they tend to replace one broad generalization with another when they dismiss Skutnabb–Kangas and other linguistic rights advocates as adherents to a ‘white man’s burden’ logic. Additionally, what is still fairly underdeveloped is a systematic analysis of subtractive bilingualism: the circumstances in which the acquisition of English may result in the displacement of the vitality of the mother tongue. The cases for the additive role are based primarily on participant testimonials, which, as powerful as they are, cannot replace data from studies of intergenerational language transmission. From Fishman (Reference Fishman1991) onwards, research has consistently shown that where a dominant language monopolizes formal education and economic mobility, younger generations undergo measurable language shift in areas previously reserved for the dominant language. In cross‑sectional self‑reports from successful bilinguals, this process may not be visible. It is hard to determine whether the additive narratives in the book are a sustainable outcome of successful bilingualism for subaltern communities or merely the result of a selection bias that chooses only those whose language ecologies are already resilient enough to accommodate bilingual development.

Similarly, Chapter 5, ‘When the Subaltern Speaks in English, She Is Heard!’, indicates a desire to analyze from a gender perspective, but its analytical delivery falls short. The emancipatory narratives of Aanu and Hubi are largely anecdotal. They lack a systematic analysis of the structures that hinder women’s English acquisition, limit their mobility, raise safety concerns in mixed‑gender environments, and perpetuate an unequal division of domestic labor. An intersectional perspective would have strengthened the discussion as it could show how the axes work together, yielding unique combinations of obstacles for women learners.

Despite these limitations, this book is an important academic accomplishment in the knowledge of language, power, and social change during the postcolonial context. The theoretical developments in the book, particularly the concepts of Subaltern Self‑Determination and the English Acquisition Framework, can be of immense help as analytical methods in further research on language and empowerment in the Global South. The volume will be of great interest to both academic and applied researchers in sociolinguistics, language policy, and critical pedagogy, as it makes an impressive appeal: English education should be reconceptualized as a tool of social justice rather than a tool of marginalization.