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coloniser of every kind of identity.’ It should be stressed, of course that the studyhas focused on attitudes and beliefs, and as such does not provide informationabout actual uses of English in various community domains, or of the power issuesthat result from the history of English in the region. (A topic of this sort would be aproductive focus for future research.)At first glance, the perceptions of the participants in this study indicate a needfor further opportunities to learn English within rural communities. However, uponreflection, some of the data suggest that what is perceived as a need for Englishmay also indicate a need for further access to literacy in general, a need for theprovision of essential information in the national language or a need for multiliteraciesin the national language. Moreover, as was noted above, it is importantto recognise that this study is based on people’s perceptions and attitudes, andit is not possible to determine whether these perceptions are rooted in realexperiences or are more the product of myths, and whether their attitudescapture actual opportunities or merely aspirations. In some cases, attitudescertainly seem to stem from the participants’ real-life experiences and suggestthat wider access to English language education (and/or wider access toinformation in Bangla) would allow more people in the community to profit fromknowledge of the language and would increase their options and choices andlessen the need for them to rely on others for important information and accessto resources.Another necessary limitation of the study is that it does not address other formsof cultural or social capital that may be needed to gain resources and positions ofesteem and authority in these communities. While the participants perceive Englishas strongly associated with better quality of life and more respectable positionsin society, this may say more about their frustrations and dissatisfaction with theircurrent situation than their actual need for English.The strong associations between English and development, however, suggest thereexists:■■a marked need to engage in a process of awareness-raising about Englishlanguageeducation projects.And that within this context, it would be advisable for:■■ English language teaching projects in development contexts to promoterealistic views about what English can offer people as one of the (many) toolsthat can assist in international development; and that■■they communicate realistic messages based on hard evidence about the roleof English in development.To be able to do this, detailed empirical studies of how knowledge of Englishcorrelates with economic value in rural Bangladesh are needed. Future researchcould explore issues like the potential role of English in developing ruraleconomies, or the value of English language skills for migrant workers who oftenprovide repatriated funds in rural areas.206 | Attitudes English Bangladesh