Decolonizing English Studies in Bangladesh and Integrating Bengali Literature into English Language and Literature Education at Tertiary Level: A Case Study

Abstract

The implementation of the study of Bengali literature in the departments of English Language and Literature (ELL) in Bangladesh is to date a “to be or not to be” issue in most of the universities in general. Being a twice-born country, Bangladesh still seems to fail to liberate herself from the mental colonial legacy in many aspects of national life, including the university education. Taking a mixed-method approach, this paper examined the perceptions of different stakeholders within English studies- here, tertiary level teachers and students in ELL Department about the issues related to the integration of Bengali literature into English Studies at tertiary level. In doing so, we investigated: (a) learners’ knowledge in English and Bengali literature, (b) the problems they face (if there is any) due to the limited Bengali practice at universities, (c) their perceptions of the potential benefits of studying Bengali at tertiary level, (d) their opinions regarding the inclusion of Bengali literature into English Studies and finally, (e) the linguistic medium in which Bengali literature can be presented to the learners at tertiary level. This paper might be one of the most important steps to decolonize the English Studies as it is argued here that in order to create intercultural awareness of the learners, their (learners’) own socio-cultural and traditional values must be presented to them through native literature in original form.