In one of the contributions to this edited volume an interviewee argues that "English is power". For researchers in the field of English Studies this raises the questions of where the power of English resides and which types and practices of power are implied in the uses of English. Linguists, scholars of literature and culture, and language educators address aspects of these questions in a wide range of contributions. The book shows that the power of English can oscillate between empowerment and subjection, on the one hand enabling humans to develop manifold capabilities and on the other constraining their scope of action and reflection. In this edited volume, a case is made for self-critical English Studies to be dialogic, empowering and power-critical in approach.

Marta Degani was appointed Associate Professor in English Linguistics at the University of Verona, Italy, in 2014 and currently also holds a position as Senior Scientist of English Linguistics at the University of Klagenfurt, Austria. Her current research focuses on the analysis of political discourse in the frameworks of cognitive semantics and critical discourse analysis, and the study of varieties of English and language contact in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand. Werner Delanoy is professor of English language education in the English Department at the University of Klagenfurt. His main areas of research are inter- and transcultural learning perspectives, cosmopolitanism and global citizenship education, English language education in a globalized modernity and contemporary British culture and literature.