Abstract

The growth of digital technologies and social media in the 21st century has opened new spaces for marginalized communities to assert identities and challenge dominant narratives. For Dalits in India English has long been both a barrier and a means of empowerment. In the digital age this duality deepens: English enables Dalits to bypass traditional barriers and engage global audiences yet structural inequalities in education resources and digital literacy restrict broad participation. This paper examines the role of English in Dalit digital assertion through Ambedkar’s vision Bourdieu’s concept of linguistic capital and postcolonial critiques of power. Drawing on case studies Dalit literature and student narratives it argues that digital English fosters democratization of voice while also sustaining exclusion. It concludes that English in digital spaces is not only a medium of communication but a symbolic arena where caste modernity and global solidarity intersect opening new horizons f