NEW! October Issue of the ReN Newsletter
Peek inside for:
The Africa ReN Convenes in Essen, Germany (August 2008) During AILA Congress
The ReN Africa symposia confirmed the theoretical rigour and dynamism of postcolonial African Applied Linguistics and the inclusive, growing community working in this field….
4th ADALEST conference, University of Botswana, Gaborone; 7-9 July 2008
Read about results from the 4th conference of the Association for the Development of African Languages in Education, Science and Technology (ADALEST), held under the theme, ‘African Languages in the Context of the UN Decade for Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014)’…
New Resource Bantu Orthography Manual
The Bantu Orthography Manual is a resource for developing writing systems among the Bantu subgroup of Niger-Congo languages. It offers a strategy for orthography development responding to native speaker intuition…
New Publication: Family Literacy: Experiences from Africa and Around the World
ReN member Snoeks Desmond, along with Maren Elfert, recently edited the newly released "Family Literacy: Experiences from Africa and Around the World" published by UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning and…
ReN Member of the Month Profile: Nkonko M. Kamwangamalu
Let me first tell your readers about my social and academic background. I was born in a rural village in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo…
- Language and Gender in African Contexts: A BAAL Gender and Language SiG Seminar
- Reading Association of South Africa 2008 Conference
22nd Conference of the Linguistic Association of Nigeria - Highlights - First Intergenerational Literacy Learners’ Conference Held in Uganda
- The 6th Pan-African Reading for All Conference
FOCUS on… West Africa
Features: A Brief on the 5TH Pan-African Reading for All Conference (August 2007)
FOCUS on… Francophone Africa
Features: We are currently seeking Francophone contributors to the ReN newsletter and website. We are committed to including Francophone Africa researchers in our research community and our aim is to eventually publish the newsletter in English and French. We have a post vacant for…
FOCUS on… Southern Africa
Features: Blogging South Africa: A Foreign Teacher Writes Home
Assessing the ‘Takalani Sesame’ Project: Findings from an Evaluation Report
FOCUS on…. East Africa
Features: A new working group on multilingual education in East Africa
Research Corner
- Finding Synergies: African Mother Tongues and ICTs Research Group
- Recommended Resources: African Languages and Voice Technologies
- Abstract: The Two Kabiye Orthographies
Publications, Resources and Tools
- African Family Literacy Newsletter to be Launched
- Book Announcement: Literacies, Global and Local
- New Publications in African Linguistics and Education from CASAS
Recension de Lezouret, Lise M. et Chatry-Komarek, Marie. (2007). Enseigner le français en contextes multilingues dans les écoles africaines. Paris : L’Harmattan.
Who We Are
Jump to ReN Africa Members
Co-Convenors - ReN Africa (AILA)
Dr. Sinfree Makoni, Department of Applied Linguistics and African and African American Studies, The College of Liberal Arts, Pennsylvania State University
Sinfree Makoni is a Pan Africanist. He has held professional appointments at the University of the Western Cape, and the University of Swaziland. He currently teaches at Pennsylvania State University. He is co-author of “Language and Aging in Multilingual Contexts” which was short listed for Best Book in Applied Linguistics by the British Association of Applied Linguistics in 2006. He has co-edited numerous books including “Disinventing and Reconstituting Languages” (2007), “Black Linguistics”, “Language Society and Politics in Africa and the Americas” (2003), “Ageing in Africa: Sociolinguistic and Anthropological Approaches (2002), “Freedom and Discipline: Essays in Applied Linguistics from Southern Africa” (2001), and “Language and Institutions in Africa” (1999). He has published in a number of journals across the globe including The Indian Journal of Applied Linguistics, Per Linguam, the Southern African Journal of Applied Linguistics, TESOL QUARTERLY, Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, Journal of Language Identity and Education, and International Journal of Multilingual Research, and Current Issues in Language Planning. His main research interests are in urban African languages, popular culture, language and health, and police communication.
Dr. Bonny Norton, Professor, Department of Language and Literacy Education, University of British Columbia
Dr. Bonny Norton is Professor and Distinguished University Scholar in the Department of Language and Literacy Education, University of British Columbia, Canada. She is also Honorary Professor in the School of Education, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, and Visiting Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Education, King’s College, University of London. Her award-winning research addresses identity and language learning, education and international development, and critical literacy. Recent publications include Identity and Language Learning (Longman/Pearson, 2000); Gender and English Language Learners (TESOL, 2004, w. A. Pavlenko); and Critical Pedagogies and Language Learning (Cambridge University Press, 2004, w. K. Toohey). Her forthcoming book, Applied Linguistics in the field: Local knowledge and HIV/AIDS, edited w. C. Higgins, is being published by Multilingual Matters. She edited the 1997 special issue of TESOL Quarterly on “Language and Identity,” and co-edited (w. Y. Kanno) the 2003 special issue of the Journal of Language, Identity, and Education on “Imagined Communities and Educational Possibilities.” She has served as Teaching Issues Editor of the TESOL Quarterly from 1994-2007, and is currently a series editor (w. V. Ramanathan and A. Pennycook) for Multilingual Matters and a Co-convenor (w. S. Makoni and P. Stein) of the AILA Africa research network on Applied Linguistics and Literacy. In 2003, she was awarded a UBC Killam Prize for Excellence in Teaching. Her website can be found at http://lerc.educ.ubc.ca/fac/norton/
Dr. Ashraf Abdelhay, Linguistics and English Language - University of Edinburgh
Dr. Abdelhay’s interest is in the area of language planning and policy, focusing on the relationship between language planning, ideology and power relations. His current research involves a critical analysis of the Naivasha language policy discourse and its implications for the question of national identity in the Sudan.
Steering Committee - ReN Africa (AILA)
L. Oladipo Salami, Associate Professor, Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife
Dr. Salami is an Associate Professor in the Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. He has contributed to a number of books including Nigeria and Globalization: Discourses on Identity Politics and Social conflict (Center for Black and African Arts Civilization, 2004) and Explorations in the Sociology of Language and Religion (John Benjamins, 2006). He has publications in a number of international journals among which are Language in Society, Anthroplogical Linguistics, Journal of Asian and African Studies, ODU: Journal of West African Studies, SKASE: Journal of Theoretical Linguistics and Language Policy. His areas of research interest are language variation and use, language contact, bi/ multilingualism, language policy (national language, language and education) and language and identity.
Dr. Nkonko M. Kamwangamalu, Professor, Department of English, Howard University
Nkonko M. Kamwangamalu is a Professor of Linguistics and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of English at Howard University, Washington, DC. He is recognized internationally for his scholarship in the field of sociolinguistics, and more specifically in the areas of codeswitching, multilingualism, language policy and planning, world Englishes, language and identity, and African linguistics. He holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and received a Fulbright award. Before joining Howard University, Dr Kamwangamalu taught linguistics at the National University of Singapore, the University of Swaziland, and the University of Natal in Durban, South Africa. Dr Kamwangamalu is Polity Editor for the Series Current Issues in Language Planning. He is a member of the editorial board of World Englishes, Language Policy, and Studies in Language Policy in South Africa. He has served as editor of Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, and as a manuscript consultant for the University of Natal Press, Multi- lingual Matters, TESOL Quarterly, Language Problems and Language Planning, Applied Linguistics, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, and Multilingua – Journal of Cross-Cultural and Interlanguage Communication. His publications include a co-edited book, Language and Institutions in Africa (2001), a monograph, The Language Planning Situation in South Africa (2001), some fifty peer-refereed articles, and book-length special issues he has guest-edited for Multilingua 17 (1998), International Journal of the Sociology of Language 144 (2000), World Englishes 21 (2002) and Language Problems and Language Planning (2005). Dr Kam- wangamalu has presented over fifty scholarly papers at professional meetings in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Dr. Ulrike Hanna Meinhof, Professor, School of Humanities, University of Southampton
Mastin Prinsloo, School of Education, University of Cape Town
Mastin Prinsloo is an Associate Professor in the School of Education, University of Cape Town and Director of the Centre for Applied Language and Literacy Studies in South Africa (CALLSSA). His fields of interest include the New Literacy Studies and literacy and language in contemporary and historical social practice, including early childhood literacy, digital literacies and adults’ literacies. He was the Convener of the AILA Scientific Commission on Literacy from 1999 to 2003.
Dr. Juliet Tembe, Department of Languages, Literature and Linguistics - Islamic University in Uganda
Uganda
Dr. Tembe completed her B.A (English Language Studies & Literature with a concurrent diploma in Education) and M.Ed. degrees at Makerere University (Uganda) specializing in TESOL. She has since taught at secondary school, national teacher training colleges and at the university level. After teaching English at the high school level for several years, Dr. Tembe completed an M.Ed. course at Makerere University after which she joined the teacher education programme at the Institute of Teacher Education, Kyambogo. She recently completed her PhD in TESL at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. She is currently a lecturer in the department of Languages, Literature and Linguistics at the Islamic University in Uganda. Her research interests include: second language teaching; language policy and planning; bi-/multi-lingual literacy; and minority language education. As a member of the Association of World Education (Uganda Chapter), she has been involved in research on conflict management among pastoral communities in North eastern Uganda. Her current research is in gender and literacy as well as the use of ICTs for teacher development. She is the current chair of the largest non-governmental HIV/AIDS service organization in Uganda and Africa: “The AIDS Support Organization (TASO)” and a member of the Uganda AIDS Commission.
ReN Newsletter Editor and Webmaster
Lauryn Oates, Department of Language and Literacy Education, University of British Columbia
Lauryn Oates has a background in international development studies and peace and conflict, and is now working towards a doctorate in language and literacy education. Her research is concerned with access and use of mother tongue resources for teachers in Uganda, particularly in the conflict-affected region of Gulu in the north, and the potential which information communications technologies holds for facilitating mother tongue teaching at the primary level. She was worked with a variety of international human rights, gender equality and international development organizations around the world and has field experience in Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
ReN Africa Members
Dr. Wale Adegbite Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State Nigeria
Research Interests: Bilingualism and Multilingualism in Africa; Mother Tongue and English Language in Education ; ESL: Usage and Uses in Nigeria; Text/Discourse Analysis in ESL
Gary Barkhuizen Dept Applied Language Studies and Linguistics, University of Auckland
New Zealand
Research Interests: sociolinguistics and language teacher education; narrative perspective.
Prof. David Barton Literacy Research Centre, Lancaster University
United Kingdom
Research Interests: The changing nature of literacy in contemporary societies, including Malawi; literacy and social justice; missionaries, migration and literacy; research methodologies; reading and writing on the internet.
Dr. Hassan Belhiah Center for Academic Development, Al-Akhawayn University in Ifrane
Morocco
Research Interests: TESOL, second language acquisition, conversation analysis, nonverbal communication, literacy skills, language policy and language planning.
Dr. Joseph Benjamin Archibald Afful Department of English, Faculty of Arts, University of Cape Coast,
Ghana
Research Interests: academic literacy (writing), disciplinary discourse (variation), sociolinguistics, postgraduate pedagogy, (critical) discourse analysis, and general linguistics.
Mathakga Botha Wits School of Education – Curriculum Division South Africa
Research Interests: Teaching of reading and writing in primary schools, in particular problems with poor literacy in African languages
Grace Bunyi kifaru@kenyaweb.com
School and Department: Kenyatta University, School of Education
Kenya
Research Interests: Language policy and practice, multilingual classroom talk, use of African languages in education and language and educational inequalities.
Suresh Canagarajah Pennsylvania State University, Departments of Applied Linguistics and English, Sri Lanka and USA
Research Interests: Bilingualism, discourse analysis, academic literacy, ethnography, critical practice.
Mr. Ian Cheffy SIL International and Lancaster University United Kingdom
Research Interests: literacy and development, literacy and globalisation, adult literacy programmes, adult literacy methodology, literacy practices in rural contexts, ethnographic research, multilingual education, and minority language development
Ms. Brigid Goitse Conteh Communication and Study Skills Unit, University of Botswana Botswana
Research Interests: English Language Education, Verbal and written classroom discourse, English for Academic/specific purposes, e-learning, instructional materials development
Mr. Samuel Andema Languages and Literature Department, Kyambogo University, Uganda
Research Interests: Digital Literacy and Teacher training, the Role of NGOs in the Promotion of Reading Culture in Africa, Literacy and Peace building, Literacy and Poverty Eradication, Family Literacy, Literacy Practices in Crises Areas, Language Policy and Mother Tongue Education.
Diane Dagenais Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University, Canada
Research Interests: second language education with a focus on language learning in contexts of sociocultural diversity, immigration, bilingualism, multilingualism, literacy, and bilingual (immersion) programs.
Ms. Snoeks Desmond Family Literacy Project
Research Interests:The impact of parental reading with children on the development of early literacy skills, especially in Africa; and the long term benefits of this interest by parents in their children’s reading habits.
Ms. Kerryn Dixon Department of Languages, Wits School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Research Interests:Early childhood literacy, language policy, teacher education
Ms. Iris Dumenden School of Educational Studies, Faculty of Education, La Trobe University, Australia
Research Interests: The learning needs (literacy and ESL) of young adult refugees from Africa who have had minimal or severely interrupted schooling before arriving in Australia.
Charlyn Dyers, Associate Professor Dept Linguistics, University of the Western Cape, Uganda
Research Interests: Space, migration and multillingualism; focus on newly integrated townships in the Cape Town area to find out how people are negotiating the new space and issues of identity through language.
Dr. Gibson Ferguson Member and Treasurer of the BAAL Language in Africa SIG, Department of English Language and Linguistics, University of Sheffield United Kingdom
Research Interests: Language Policy and Planning, Language in Education, Teacher Education, and Language Testing.
Ms. Paula Gains The Molteno Project: Language Literacy and Educator Development, South Africa
Research Interests:Early literacy pedagogy in a multilingual context and the centrality of the conceptualizations, identity and actions of the early literacy teacher.
Dr. Audrey Grant A. Faculty of Education, La Trobe University, Australia
Research Interests: East African education and Australia: post-colonial ‘Africanisation’ policy; (with John Kole) Kenyan schooling and international students; (with Sarah Hasaba) women, literacy and poverty reduction.
Dr. Christina Higgins Department of Second Language Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa, United States
Research Interests: Sociolinguistics of multilingualism in East Africa: Linguistic and cultural hybridity in Swahili and English discourse; globalization and language use; crosscultural communication in HIV/AIDS education.
Dr. Hizzaya Hissani UPLIFT Uganda
Research Interests: Adult Literacy Methodology
Dr. John Holmes School of Education, University of Leeds, United Kingdom
Research Interests:Mother tongue literacy, postcolonial language teaching methodologies, community based education.
Prof. Hilary Janks Applied English Language Studies, School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand South Africa
Research Interests: Critical literacy, language and literacy education, postgraduate pedagogy, language policy
Ms. Shelley Jones Department of Language and Literacy Education, University of British Columbia, Canada
Research Interests: Gender, education, literacy and international development; global education
Ms. Dora Johnson Center for Applied Linguistics, United States
Research Interests: Issues of access in language and education, in the U.S., Africa and Asia; Language policy
Ms. Namugenyi Deborah KaggwaKyambogo University
Research Interests: Home language and its role in the development of literacy skills in young bilinguals
Mr. Seraphin Kamdem SOAS, University of London (UK) United Kingdom and Cameroon
Research Interests: Applied Linguistics, Bilingual education, Adult literacy, African languages, Language policy and planning, Grassroots community development, Language learning, Teacher training, Sociolinguistics.
Michael Kevane MKevane@scu.edu Dept. of Eocnomics, Santa Clara University (link to: lsb.scu.edu/~mkevane
USA
Research Interests: Impact of community libraries on reading and literacy in Burkina Faso.
Dr. Carolyn McKinney Applied English Language Studies, School of Education South Africa
Research Interests: Critical literacy and critical pedagogy; language and identity; language, race and gender in education.
Dr. Doris Muhwezi KakuruDepartment of Sociology, Makerere University,Uganda
Research Interests:Gender and education; children affected and made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS.
Prof. Nkonko M. Kamwangamalu Department of English, Howard University, United States
Research Interests: Language policy and planning, language and identity, codeswitching, World Englishes, African Linguistics.
Gregory Kamwendo Department of Languages & Social Sciences Education, University of Botswana. Botswana
Research Interests: linguistics (mainly language teaching and learning); language planning and language policy.
Ms. Elspeth Kempe Department of Applied English Language Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Research Interests: Ways of helping students form communities of practice within their learning and teaching contexts, as an aid towards building empowered identities.
Dr. Maureen Kendrick maureen.kendrick@ubc.ca
Language and Literacy Education Department, University of British Columbia
http://www.lled.educ.ubc.ca/faculty/kendrick.htm
Canada
Research Interests: literacy as a social practice; multimodality and ethnography.
Sarah Murray S.Murray@ru.ac.za
Department of Education, Rhodes University
South Africa
Research Interests: Initial literacy in bilingual contexts (i.e. first four years of schooling).
Dr. Abolaji Samuel Mustapha abolajimustapha@yahoo.co.uk
Dept. of English, Lagos State University
Nigeria
Research Interests: sociolinguistics - language and gender, language variation and change, multilingualsim, language policy and planning, politeness & speech functions, pidgins and creoles, discourse; applied linguistics, language teaching (teaching ESL).
Harriet Mutonyi hmutonyi@yahoo.com Centre for Cross Faculty Inquiry, University of British Columbia
Canada
Research Interests: Adolescent health, HIV/AIDS and Education
Margie Probyn M.Probyn@ru.ac.za Institute for the Study of English in Africa, Rhodes University
South Africa
Research Interests: Language and learning in multilingual contexts; language in education policy and practice; language and science learning; teacher education and development; English additional language teaching and learning.
Suzanne Smythe smythe02@shaw.ca Faculty of Education, University of Western Ontario
Canada
Research Interests: Refugee experiences with schooling in the diaspora, with a particular focus on literacy. Home-school relations, mothering and social/educational policy.
Sue Starfield s.starfield@unsw.edu.au
The Learning Centre and Department of Linguistics, University of New South Wales
Australia
Research Interests: Thesis and dissertation writing; academic literacy; writing and identity; postgraduate pedagogy; critical pedagogy; language policy in higher education.
Dr. Juliet Tembe, Department of Languages, Literature and Linguistics - Islamic University in Uganda
Uganda
Dr. Tembe completed her B.A and M.Ed. degrees at Makerere University (Uganda) specializing in English, Education, and TESOL, and in 2008 she completed her PhD in TESL at the University of British Columbia, Canada. She has taught at secondary school, national teacher training colleges, and at the university level. Her research interests include: second language teaching; language policy and planning; bi-/multi-lingual literacy; and minority language education, and she has published her research in such journals as TESOL Quarterly and Canadian Modern Language Review. As a member of the Association of World Education (Uganda Chapter), she has been involved in research on conflict management among pastoral communities in North eastern Uganda. Her current research is in literacy and gender, as well as the use of ICTs for teacher development. She is the current Chair of the largest non-governmental HIV/AIDS service organization in Uganda and Africa, The AIDS Support Organization (TASO), and a member of the Uganda AIDS Commission.
Mr. Mushakavanhu Tinashe tinsmush@yahoo.com
PhD student, School of English, University of Kent (link to: www.kent.ac.uk )
Zimbabwe
Research Interests: post-colonial writings, especially the concepts of Diaspora, creativity and politics in African literature with current research on the Zimbabwean short story and the politics of nationhood.
Prof. Toussaint Yaovi Tchitchi tchitchitoussaint@yahoo.fr
Département des Sciences du Langage et de la Communication, Faculté des Lettres, Arts et Sciences Humaines, Université d’Abomey-Calavi
République du Bénin
Research Interests:
Dr.Geoff Williams geoff.williams@ubc.ca
Department of Language and Literacy Education, University of British Columbia
Canada
Research Interests: Educational linguistics; early child literacy development; early child language development; social class effects on educational access; systemic functional (Hallidayan) linguistic theory.
John Willinsky
School of Education, Stanford University
USA
Research Interests: New ways of supporting and strengthening scholarly publishing in Africa by developing and conducting research around open source software systems that enable journals to be part of a global and public knowledge exchange.
Jane Zuengler zuengler@wisc.edu
Department of English, University of Wisconsin-Madison
USA
Research Interests: ethnographic microanalysis of discourse; critical perspectives on language acquisition and use; issues in English spread.
Dr. Katalin Egri Ku-Mesu kekm500@york.ac.uk Department of Educational Studies, University of York, Adam Smith College
United Kingdom
Research Interests: the African literary ecosystem, reading for pleasure in Africa, censorship and publishing in Africa, multilingualism, cross-cultural communication, English language teaching/teacher training
Eddie Williams else03@bangor.ac.uk
Institution and Department: Bangor University, Wales, School of Linguistics and English Language
http://www.bangor.ac.uk/linguistics/
Wales, UK
Research Interests: Language policy, literacy and development in Africa; Reading in a first and second languages in African educational contexts; “Voice” and rural communities in Africa.
Elsa Auerbach Elsa.Auerbach@umb.edu
English Department, University of Massachusetts at Boston
http://www.umb.edu/academics/cla/dept/english/index.html
USA
Research Interests: Adult education and literacy, participatory curriculum development, English as an Additional Language, worker education, teacher education.
Cathy Davison cathy_davison@sil.org SIL International Africa Area
Cameroon
Research Interests: Adult education, development of literacy skills (particularly in adults), training and capacity building.
Monica Hendricks m.hendricks@ru.ac.za
Institute for the Study of English in Africa, Rhodes University
www.ru.ac.za/research/institutes
South Africa
Research Interests: into children’s classroom writing in English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa; sense of self and identity that emerges from classroom writing.
Sarita Monjane Henrikson PhD Candidate, Roskilde University - Department of Culture and Identity
Denmark
Research Interests: Language in Education Planning and Policy, Bilingual/Multilingual Education
Mr. Swallows Mbuyiselo Henning Khume swallowkhume@gmail.com HOD of History and IT at Fezeka High School South Africa
Mr. Rudy Klaas Rudy_klaas@sil.org
Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL)
Senegal
Research Interests: local language literacy
Mr. John Kole jkole2002@yahoo.com
Department of Educational Studies, La Trobe University
www.latrobe.edu.au/educationalstudies
Australia
Research Interests: curriculum differentiation, Pedagogy, student learning needs, international education, and counselling.
Dr. Robinah Kyeyune namande2001@yahoo.com Department of Language Education, School of Education, Makerere University
Uganda
Research interests: The place of literacy competences in learning effectiveness and its demonstration. The two areas of focus are basic literacies and academic literacies.
Dr. Lia Litosseliti L.Litosseliti@city.ac.uk
Department of Language and Communication Science, City University
LINK: http://www.city.ac.uk/lcs/biographies/llitosseliti.html
United Kingdom
Research Interests: Gender, Language and Discourse (including in African contexts); Research methodologies (especially focus groups).
Prof. Alison Love am.love@nul.ls
Department of English, National University of Lesotho
Lesotho
Research Interests: discourse analysis in political and institutional discourse in Southern Africa, discourse of academic disciplines, pragmatics.
Prof. Sinfree Makoni sbm12@psu.edu
Department of Applied Linguistics and African and African American Studies, The College of Liberal Arts, Pennsylvania State University
United States
Research interests: Gerontology, urban multilingualism, identities, popular culture and music
Ms. Evelyn Markwei dedeiaf@yahoo.co.uk
School of Library, Archival and Information Studies, University of British Columbia
Canada
Research Interests: The role of information in poverty alleviation among women in rural and deprived urban communities in Ghana; their information needs, information seeking behaviour, sources of information, and problems encountered in accessing information for poverty alleviation.
Dr. Dawn Marley D.marley@surrey.ac.uk
Department of Languages and Translation Studies University of Surrey
http://www.surrey.ac.uk/languages/index.htm http://www.surrey.ac.uk/cmc/staff-profiles/marley-dawn.htm
United Kingdom
Research interests: language attitudes in Morocco, and role and status of French in Morocco.
Professor Marilyn Martin-Jones m.martinjones@bham.ac.uk
School of Education, University of Birmingham
United Kingdom
Research Interests: bilingual discourse practices and multilingual literacy.
Mrs. Janet Marx janet@zenexfoundation.org.za
Applied English Language Studies, University of the Witwatersrand
South Africa
Research Interests: Systemic evaluation in reading in primary school children in multilingual contexts. I am interested in the notion of what constitutes a literate subject in today’s global knowledge economy.
Dr. Dudu Jankie Department of Languages & Social Sciences Education, Faculty of Education
University of Botswana
Botswana
Research interests: language, literacy and literature education, postcolonial and culturally relevant/appropriate pedagogical approaches, multicultural teacher education, comparative education, as well as curriculum and policy issues.
Mr. Sekepe Daniel Matjila matjids@unisa.ac.za
Centre for Pan African Languages and Cultural Development
South Africa
Research interests: Education and Multilingual and Multicultural Setting
Mrs. Lits’episo Matlosa lmatlosa@yahoo.co.uk
Departments of Linguistics and Deaf Education, University of Witwatersrand
South Africa
Research Interests: language policy and planning; Deaf education; gender, democracy and disability issues.
Prof. Ulrike Meinhof uhm@soton.ac.uk
Centre for Transnational Studies, School of Modern Languages
University of Southampton
http://www.transnational.soton.ac.uk/
http://www.lang.soton.ac.uk/profiles/meinhof.htm
United Kingdom
Research interests: Discourse and identity. Ethnographic research on transnational networks of migrants, especially musicians from African countries, in multicultural neighbourhoods across European borders , provincial regions and cities.
Ms. Penelope G. Moanakwena moanakwena@mopipi.ub.bw
Communication and Study Skills Unit, University of Botswana
Bostwana
Research Interests: Literacies for the information society and issues of closing the digital gap; implications for the classroom practice.
Jean Moore moorej@ukzn.ac.za
Faculty of Law, University of KwaZulu-Natal
South Africa
Research Interests: Academic literacy development, particularly reading, especially in contexts where the language of instruction is not students’ primary language.
Cyrus Kabucwa Murage murage@btlkenya.org
Bible Translation & Literacy
Kenya
Research Interests: Development of literacy through mother tongue education programmes for adults.
Dr. Margaret J. Muthwii mmuthwii@ubs-africa.org
Africa Area Translations Services, United Bible Societies
Research interests: Language issue in African context as it interacts with society, education, development, literacy, policy and planning. African linguistics; multilingualism; text/Bible translation; Literacy and publishing in African languages.
Dr. Hizzyz Hissani Mwani hhissani@yahoo.com
UPLIFT UGANDA
Uganda
Research interests: The impact of a significant and widespread literacy program for community development, for the individual and for local institutions; parameters defined as sufficient to meet Millennium Development Goals and applied in an African regional context, with use of African traditional communication and methodology.
Ms. Jacinta Ndambuki njacintah@yahoo.com
English Language Studies, University of the Witwatersrand
South Africa
Research Interests: Applied Linguistics research with particular interest in Critical Discourse Analysis (gender and political discourse); academic literacy/writing.
Mr. Finex Ndhlovu fndh1@student.monash.edu Department of Linguistics, Monash University
Australia
Research interests: language policy and politics, language and power, minority languages and their maintenance (special focus on Southern Africa), language endangerment and language revitalization.
Denise Newfield Denise.Newfield@wits.ac.za
English Department, University of the Witwatersrand
South Africa
Research Interests: Literature in education; multiliteracies and multimodality; contemporary youth poetry in Africa; poetry in Africa; curricular development; innovative pedagogies; working in contexts of disadvantage.
Willy Ngaka wngaka@yahoo.co.uk
School of Adult and Higher Education, University of KwaZulu-Natal
Uganda
Research Interests: Intergenerational Literacy Learning, Lifelong learning, Language and Literacy Policy issues, and Literacies and capabilities.
Dr. Bonny Norton bonny.norton@ubc.ca
Department of Language and Literacy Education
University of British Columbia
http://lerc.educ.ubc.ca/fac/norton/
Canada
Research interests: identity and language learning, education and development, and critical literacy.
Lone Elizabeth Olebile, PhD Student golebaof@uga.edu
Language and Literacy Department, University of Georgia (USA)
Botswana and USA
Research Interests: Indigenous literacy, reading education, minority literacy, emergent literacy, and adolescent literacy.
Dr. Tope Omoniyi T.Omoniyi@roehampton.ac.uk
English Language & Linguistics, School of Arts, Roehampton University, London
http//www.roehampton.ac.uk/Arts
http://www.roehampton.ac.uk/staff/TopeOmoniyi/
United Kingdom
Research interests: Languages in education, policy, literacy & development, sociology of language & religion, language & identity in transnational communities, African diaspora, and popular culture; Language issues in EU accession & identity.
Mr. George Ladaah Openjuru openjuru@yahoo.co.uk
Institute of Adult and Continuing Education, Makerere University
http://georgeopenjuru.cgpublisher.com/index.html
Uganda
Research Interests: rural communities literacy practices; development of adult literacy programmes for rural peoples; adult literacy education policies and rural communities uses of reading and writing in everyday life.
Dr. Kate Parry kateparry@earthlink.net
Department of English at Hunter College, City University of New York
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/~english/
United States
Research interests: community libraries, culture and literacy, reading, Uganda, English language learning.
Dr. Kristen Perry
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
University of Kentucky
http://www.uky.edu/Education/edchead.html
http://educ.ubc.ca/research/cpls/content/ongoing_sudanese.html
United States
Research Interests: literacy development and culture, particularly in African communities; home and community practices of literacy; immigrant and refugee children; literacy brokering; family literacy
Dr. Elizabeth Platt ejplatt@earthlink.net
Dept. Middle & Secondary Education, Florida State University
United States
Research Interests: early second language learning processes, also language & education policy w/r/t English language learners in Florida
Ms. Yvonne Reed yvonne.reed@wits.ac.za Applied English Language Studies, School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand
http://www.wits.ac.za/Humanities/Education/AELS
South Africa
Research interests: materials development for distance education and for language textbooks for schools; assessment issues in language and literacy education; the construction of subject English in schools
Ms. JeDene Reeder jreeder@sfu.ca
SIL International
United States
Research interests: adult literacy in minority languages; sociolinguistics; orthography development (newly written languages); organizational leadership and development
Dr. Elaine Ridge er@sun.ac.za
Curriculum Studies, University of Stellenbosch
South Africa
Research interests: Teacher Education relating to EFL in Africa; language acquisition of English in EFL contexts; extensive reading; South African children’s literature
Prof. Stanley Ridge ridge@adept.co.za
Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), University of the Western Cape
South Africa
Research interests: Discourse studies of contemporary and historical texts, language policy and planning, actual use of languages in multilingual situations.
Dave Roberts dave_roberts@sil.org
Langage, Langues et Cultures d’Afrique Noire, INALCO (Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales)
Togo
Research Interests: Tone orthography of African languages, especially Kabiye (Gur, Togo).
Prof. Theresa Rogers theresa.rogers@ubc.ca
Dept. of Language and Literacy Education, University of British Columbia
http://lled.educ.ubc.ca/
Canada
Research interests: Adolescent/Secondary literacy practices
Prof. Casmir Rubagumya crubagumya@yahoo.com / crubagumya@udsm.ac.tz
Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics, University of Dar es Salaam
Tanzania
Research interests: language in education in Africa; language planning and language policy in multilingual societies; literacy development; language and power.
Dr. Oladipo Salami lsalami@oauife.edu.ng or diposalami@yahoo.com Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife institution:www.oauife.edu.ng
Nigeria
Research interests: language variation and change, bi/multilingualism, language contact, language policy, language in/and education and language and identity.
Ms. Leila Schroeder leila_schroeder@sil.org
SIL Africa Area
United States
Research Interests: linguistics applied to reading methodologies (including reading transition), and multilingual education (including curriculum development, teacher training, 2nd language acquisition)in primary schools.
Mr. Zachary Simpson zsimpson@uj.ac.za
Learning Centre, University of Johannesburg
South Africa
Research Interests: Academic literacy/ies, writing, writing centres, writing and identity, plagiarism.
Connie Ssebbunga-Masembe deaneduc@educ.mak.ac.ug
School of Education, Makerere University, Department of Language Education
http//webmail.mak.ac.ug
Uganda
Research interests: literacy education, reading education, gender and education, ICT in education, discourse analysis, medium of instruction.
Dr. Tajudeen Y. Surakat suray44@yahoo.com
Dept of English & Literary Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
Nigeria
Research Interests: General / Theoretical Linguistics, Pedolinguistics or Child Language Studies, TESOL, Varieties of English, Applied Linguistics / Translation Studies
Lucia Thesen
Language Development Group, Centre for Higher Education Development, University of Cape Town
link: http://www.ched.uct.ac.za/adp/ldg/
South Africa
Research Interests: Academic literacies and multimodality in different sites, including the first year lecture, and postgraduate experience.
Ms. Carol Thomson thomsonc@ukzn.ac.za
School of Education and Development, Faculty of Education, University of KwaZulu-Natal
South Africa
Research Interests: the broad domain of the New Literacy Studies and ensuing theoretical developments i.e. literacy/ies, bilingualism, power; and phenomenological research in the field of applied and critical linguistics.
Dr. Barbara Trudell
Director of Academic Affairs, SIL International Africa Area
SIL International
United States
Research Interests: Language policy in Africa, language and literacy, community action in local language development, mulilingual education, language and education, language and development.
Agatha J. van Ginkel agatha_van_ginkel@sil.org
Leeds Metropolitan University, UK and SIL Africa Area
UK, Netherlands, Kenya
Research Interests: Mother tongue literacy, bilingual education, transfer literacy from the L2 to L1, language planning and policy, testing and evaluation of reading.
Dr. Frans C. Verhagen addressgaia1@rcn.com
Earth and Peace Education Associates International (EPE)
www.globalepe.org
United States
Research interests: sustainability usage in development work, sustainable communities research in rural areas in West Africa, sustainable aviation and surface transportation issues.
Dr. Patricia Watson trish@freethinkers.co.za
Research Fellow University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg
South Africa
Research Interests: Linguistic Human Rights; Youth, culture, media and development; Mathematics, Science and Language literacy; Comics, popular culture and visual literacy; Memory, memorialisation and heritage; History and citizenship education
Professor Rosemary Wildsmith-Cromarty (WildsmithR@ukzn.ac.za
Language, Literature & Linguistics, University of KwaZulu-Natal
http://www.ukzn.ac.za/lll/HomePage1.aspx
South Africa
Research Interests: Multilingualism, language acquisition, language and concept literacy, Translation, African Language Development.
Eddie Williams else03@bangor.ac.uk
Institution and Department: Bangor University, Wales, School of Linguistics and English Language
http://www.bangor.ac.uk/linguistics/
Wales, UK
Research Interests: Language policy, literacy and development in Africa; Reading in a first and second languages in African educational contexts; “Voice” and rural communities in Africa.
Dr. Hirut Woldemariamm hirutwol@aau.edu.et
Department of Linguistics, Institution of Language Studies, Addis Ababa University
http://www.aau.edu.et/faculties/linguistics/index.htm
Ethiopia
Research Interests:Morphology, historical and comparative linguistics, language and education, language documentation
Dr. Eva Yerende evagerente@hotmail.com
University of Kankan
Guinea
Research Interests: Bilingual/Multilingual Education, Comparative International Education, Anthropology and Education, West Africa; Central America; US; Greece