Multiple Englishes in Indian higher education: Integrating EAP and academic literacies for inclusive academic writing instruction

This study critically examines the academic writing challenges faced by multilingual learners in Indian higher education, focusing on the socioeconomic and institutional factors that shape English language repertoires. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of English for academic purposes (EAP) and academic literacies (AcLits), it presents a critical review of empirical and policy-based studies to conceptualize the notion of multiple Englishes (MEs) – a collectively varied repertoire of English shaped by unequal access to educational resources, pedagogical methods, and qualified instruction. The analysis demonstrates that disparities in English proficiency, rooted in stratified school systems and affordability, significantly influence students’ preparedness for academic writing. Despite these differences, higher education institutions in India often have uniform academic writing expectations, overlooking the material and sociocultural inequalities underpinning language use. To address this, this paper proposes a combined provisional EAP–AcLits model that integrates attention to textual features of academic writing with a critical engagement with identity, access, and power. By situating academic writing within postcolonial multilingual realities and socioeconomic stratification, this study extends EAP scholarship beyond deficit-oriented and text-centric frameworks. It argues for context-sensitive and equitable academic writing pedagogies that recognize MEs as structurally produced rather than related to individual deficiency, contributing to ongoing debates on inclusive EAP practice in multilingual, postcolonial higher education contexts. This article was published open access under a CC BY-NC-ND licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ .