Vaidehi Ramanathan is an Associate Professor in the Linguistics department at the University of California, Davis She was raised and schooled in the educational system she writes about and she has been involved in issues related vernacular and English language teaching for several years in a variety of contexts, including teacher-education. Her publications include: The Politics of TESOL education  (RoutledgeFalmer) and Alzheimer’s discourse: some sociolinguistic dimensions (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates).

"Ramanathan's study shows how we always need to pay attention to the full range of local contingencies of class, caste, ideology and practice. And we need to be aware not only of the role of English as an international language but also of English as a divisive language." Alastair Pennycook, Professor of Language in Education, Faculty of Education, University of Technology, Sydney

• Preface 1 Introduction: Situating the Vernacular in a Divisive Postcolonial Landscape 2 Divisive Postcolonial Ideologies, Language Policies and Social Practices 3 Divisive and Divergent Pedagogical Tools for Vernacular and English-medium Students 4 The Divisive Politics of Divergent Pedagogical Practices 5 The Divisive Politics of Tracking 6 Gulfs and Bridges Revisited: Hybridization, Nativization and Other Loose Ends Afterword Appendices References Index