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Access to language and justice

December 2024: Language, Power, Identity and Schooling

This month’s Spotlight was contributed by Hub member Marguerite Lukes. She works at the intersection of research, policy and practice in language and migration. Based in New York City, Marguerite is Director of Research at the national non-profit Internationals Network for Public Schools and is part-time faculty in New York University’s School of Education, Culture…
October 2024: A Global Platform for Promoting African Languages: the AFLC Story

This month’s commentary is contributed by Avishta Seeras. The African Languages Conference (AFLC) was born out of a shared passion for the promotion and preservation of Africa’s rich linguistic heritage. In a world where languages are increasingly endangered, AFLC emerged as a beacon of hope for the continent’s languages. Founded by myself and Ady Namaran…
August 2024: The Bridge as a Cultural Confluence: Interpreting Language and Justice in Kakuma Refugee Camp

This month’s Spotlight was prepared by Ifigeneia Gianne, an undergraduate student at Bard College who is majoring in Anthropology and Theater. As an international student from Greece, Ifigeneia is no stranger to issues of language and culture. As part of her studies, she has had the opportunity to closely analyze a recent film that introduces…
July 2024: Access, Asset, Agency, and Advocacy: Four Pillars of Linguistic and Cultural Inclusion in Higher Education

Dr. Shawna Shapiro (Middlebury College) Over the past several years, many higher education institutions have begun to devote more attention to issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ)—particularly as it pertains to the experiences of students of color and other groups that been historically marginalized. Although “diversity” has been a focal point for educational…
Edith Muleiro

University of Texas Austin, Texas, USA [email protected] Read Edith’s April 2021 Spotlight on Language, Culture and Justice. I recently graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a dual B.A. in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, Plan II Honors and a minor in Arabic. I have been working with migrant communities from the Middle East…
Webinar: The Impact of Global English on Higher Education and Beyond: A Conversation with Scholars in the Open Society University Network (Recording available)

This webinar explored the English-language experiences of academics from diverse regions of the world, all of whom work in institutions that are part of the Open Society University Network. Through a facilitated conversation, these scholars addressed questions such as the following: What challenges and opportunities does the increasing pressure to publish academic work in English…
Lissie Wahl-Kleiser

Independent Researcher Medical Anthropologist and Nationally Certified Medical Interpreter Harvard Medical School Department of Global Health Social Medicine Boston, Massachusetts [email protected] Communicative justice is at the core of my research and practice as medical interpreter in the Greater Boston area. For the last 15 years I have observed, participated and struggled against the silencing of…
Leigh Swigart

Leigh Swigart, Ph.D. Language, Culture and Justice Hub Coordinator Fellow in Research and Practice – EHCN and CHRA Bard College/Open Society University Network [email protected] Read Leigh’s Spotlights on Language, Culture and Justice: October 2019, November 2019, December 2019, November 2021, December 2022, and February 2024. I have worked for many years in the field of international justice, but…
Laurence Simon

Heller School for Social Policy and Management Brandeis University Waltham, Massachusetts, USA [email protected] I am a cultural geographer at the Heller School at Brandeis where I serve as the Professor of International Development and Director of the Center for Global Development and Sustainability. I’ve worked in many settings around the world including Central America, Southern…
Hillary Mellinger

Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice and Criminology Washington State University Pullman, Washington, USA [email protected] Read Hillary’s September 2022 Spotlight on Language, Culture and Justice. I received my PhD in justice, law and criminology from American University in May 2020, and am currently an assistant professor at Washington State University. Prior to pursuing my PhD, I worked as a…
Devina Krishna

Academic and linguist India [email protected] I work as an assistant professor at the Department of English, Patna Women’s College, India. I earned a PhD in Linguistics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, specializing in Phonetics and Phonology. My main research interests revolve around phonetics, phonology, and language documentation. I presented my research on Lexical…
Tatiana Grieshofer

Reader in Language and Law School of English Birmingham Institute of Media and English Birmingham City University, UK [email protected] I am Reader in Language and Law with an interdisciplinary research profile in several areas of forensic linguistics (courtroom discourse, language and law) and socio-legal studies (procedural justice, self-represented litigants). My research expertise draws on combining…
Irene Gotera

Linguistic Justice® Founder Washington, D.C. [email protected] I’m a social entrepreneur passionate about language, justice, and equality. Born in Venezuela, I’m a prospective Asylee in the U.S. and a TPS holder, as well as a former attorney with a master’s degree in Civil Procedural Law. Upon relocating to the U.S., I pursued my linguist training and national…
Ahmed El Khamloussy

Translator, Course Director, Lecturer Court Interpreter International Criminal Court The Hague, Netherlands [email protected] My linguistic journey started in my native Morocco, where I obtained undergraduate degrees in English and American literature, and Arabic-English translation. For my Master of Arts in translation at the University of Ottawa, I wrote a thesis consisting of a commented translation…
Stephanie Feyne

Independent Researcher Sign Language Interpreter in Community, Arts and Educational Settings New York City [email protected] My working languages are American Sign Language and English, and I am conversant in International Sign. I am also an interpreter educator. My research on how the discursive choices of interpreters affect listeners’ understanding of the situated identity of interpreted…
James Brannan

Head of English Division European Court of Human Rights Strasbourg, France [email protected] I have been a translator in the English Language Division at the European Court of Human Rights, Strasbourg, since 2005. I have also worked at the International Court of Justice and as a court interpreter/translator in Lyon, France. I hold degrees in French…
Katie Becker

Graduate Student Public Affairs and Law New Jersey and Connecticut, USA [email protected] Read Katie’s May 2022 Spotlight on Language, Culture and Justice. I am a joint-degree student at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and Yale Law School. My professional background is as a Spanish-English interpreter and translator. I worked in community education and outreach…