The impetus for this special issue arose from our interest in the ways in which the processes of globalisation and internationalisation influence the organisation and delivery of education in the South East Asian region. A key feature of these processes at all levels of education is the global trend towards English in schooling, teaching and learning and international or global competitiveness. The central interest in the papers is on the relationship between English language (EL) and globalisation, as the two seem to be mutually reinforcing. The common focus of the studies reported in this issue is on language, and inevitably the dominant role of English and its status in post-colonial South East Asia. The contributors are all educators who have taught and researched in the South East Asian region in the past ten years, and whose work has engaged them with the emergence of English as a global language. The interests and concerns of the studies reported in this collection vary in their particular focus, and in the regional scope and educational level.