English as Imperialism?

English language teaching has become part of the process whereby one part of the world has become politically, economically, and culturally dominated by another, and the English language teacher has become an agent in the maintenance of international patterns of dominance and subordination. The core of this process is the central place English has taken as the language of international capitalism. The retention of English and English-medium education is a distinctive part of elite identity in many countries. The publishing industry and British government are intimately involved in this pattern. The content of most English textbooks is geared to the elite minority and has little to offer the majority of potential learners. English perpetuates unequal relationships both within English-speaking countries and internationally, and this role should be challenged, as it has begun to be by the growth of new varieties of English in countries around the world. (MSE)