Sociolinguistic Research for Social and Linguistic Justice with Dr. Christine Mallinson

Please join us on Monday September 28th at 2:30PM in Sondheim 414 for our first department colloquium of the year, featuring Dr. Christine Mallison presenting "Sociolinguistic Research for Social and Linguistic Justice". A flyer is attached. 

Language is essential to humanity: how we use language is a key part of how we define ourselves and how we relate to each other, as individuals and in society. Sociolinguistics, the study of language in society, has long emphasized the value and importance of public-facing scholarship for social good, through initiatives that raise linguistic awareness, address linguistic bias, and advance linguistic and educational diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. This work has also informed the development of community-centered, decolonial, and non-extractive models, methods, and ethics for linguistic research with language users and their communities.  Mallinson will illustrate equity-oriented models for linguistic research with examples from her own interdisciplinary and collaborative work, especially in Baltimore, that has expanded public understanding of language and helped sustain linguistic diversity in schools and communities.

Biography: 

Christine Mallinson is Assistant Vice President for Research and Scholarly Impact, Professor of Language, Literacy and Culture, Affiliate Professor of Education, and Affiliate Professor of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies at UMBC. The author and editor of seven books, including the recent volumes Decolonizing Linguistics and Inclusion in Linguistics (Oxford University Press, 2024a, 2024b), Mallinson’s interdisciplinary research examines the intersections of language, culture, education, and society, with a focus on access, equity, and inclusion. A Fellow of the Linguistic Society of America, Mallinson is past chair of the LSA Ethics Committee, and she serves on several national and international scholarly journal and academic advisory boards.