The “English” Department

The “English” Department

While reading the little biographical information right before the essay “On the Abolition of the English Department” by Ngugi, Liyong, and Oquor-Anyumba, I had an epiphany when I read these lines:

“… English was enmeshed with nationalism and designed to instill national pride- hence the subject was “English” rather than simply “literature”- particularly in the face of European conflicts (such as those leading up to World War I) and competition for colonies. Morever, the teaching of English language and literature was a prominent part of the administration of the British Empire in its many colonies around the globe- in India, Africa, and elsewhere” (2089-2090).

Wow. Suddenly it all made sense! I hadn’t ever really thought about the “English” major before, and the root of how it got its name. I always thought hey, English is the language and therefore the English major is the study of the language and literature in general. After reading those lines up there suddenly it did make sense, if it weren’t for England and their nationalism I would probably just be a Literature major. That’s funny to think about especially because I’m American. I didn’t think my major carried that much history with its name. It’s also intriguing to think that, especially in relation to the essay, that the English major could be seen as colonialism, especially in other countries. Is the English major really a form of colonialism, when all it is learning how to write, read, and critique language (specifically English) well? Is that a fair assertion?

Lots of intriguing stuff there, and I didn’t even get into the essay yet!