“When the Subaltern Speaks in English, She Is Heard!”

This chapter discusses the intersectionality of English and Leadership. This aspect of second language acquisition has received limited focus in the literature. In South Asia, English hugely facilitates leadership development as knowing English is often a prerequisite for opportunities for leadership enactment. We argue that English elevates leadership consciousness in non-elites and that English enhances leadership even if it does not create it. We present evidence that English positively impacts almost every aspect of leadership development to the extent that for the Subaltern, learning English is an exercise in leadership development itself. The credibility English endows the Subaltern impacts various attributes that are positively associated with leadership such as persistence in pursuit of goals, sense of personal identity, decision making and risk taking, readiness to accept consequences of actions, and the ability to influence other people’s behavior. The literature on leadership is discussed in detail.