Researchers & Membership

Researcher Directory

The INARELS Network

14 affiliated researchers across West Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and the United States — bringing disciplinary expertise in linguistics, history, education, anthropology, sociology, and the arts.

Leadership Team

Network Coordinator

Desmond Ikenna Odugu, Ph.D.

Lake Forest College — Illinois, USA

Language Policy Comparative Education Historical Literacies

Associate Professor of Education and Chair of the Department of Education at Lake Forest College. PhD in Cultural and Educational Policy Studies from Loyola University Chicago. Intellectual background spanning Philosophy (including African Philosophy), Educational Psychology, history, political economics, and mass communication. Conducts research on language processes in multilingual societies, the historiography of Western education in West African contexts, and the relationships among education, history, culture, language, and social change. Extensive fieldwork in India, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

Active Projects: Historicizing History Education Language, Historical Literacies & Civic Engagement AGIRD Language, Education & Development

Network Secretary

Dr. Ifeoma Obuasi

Michael Okpara University of Agriculture — Nigeria

Sociolinguistics Discourse Studies Igbo Language Pedagogy

Lecturer with the College of General and Communication Studies, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike. PhD in Sociolinguistics/Discourse Studies from Ebonyi State University. Research interests include pedagogic discourse, religious discourse, gender discourse, and Igbo language studies. Advocate for indigenous language-based multilingual education with notable curriculum development experiences. Former National Secretary of APNILAC for six years.

Regional Network Facilitator

James Zotto, Ph.D.

University of Dar es Salaam — Tanzania

African History Border Studies East Africa

Assistant Lecturer of History at the University of Dar es Salaam. Visiting lecturer at St. John's University of Tanzania, University of Dodoma, and Stella Maris University College. PhD in History at the University of Dar es Salaam with academic background in Education. Research focuses on the history of border disputes in Africa, including the Malawi–Tanzania border since the 1890s. 2014 recipient of the ACLS African Humanities Program Dissertation Fellowship.

Network Researchers

Gordon Senanu Kwame Adika, Ph.D.

University of Ghana — Ghana

Applied Linguistics Discourse Analysis English Studies

Senior Research Fellow and Acting Director of the Language Centre, University of Ghana. PhD in Linguistics from the University of Ghana; previous backgrounds from University of Cambridge. Specializations include language in education, English for academic purposes, and discourse analysis. 20+ years in academia. Author of Deviant Usage and Confusing Words on English varieties in Ghana.

Chidi Ugwu, Ph.D.

University of Nigeria — Nigeria

Anthropology Kinship Studies Public Health

PhD in Anthropology from the University of Nigeria where he teaches social anthropology and research methods. Guest lecturer at the University of Melbourne (Indigenous and Tribal Peoples' Health). Research fellow of the African Population and Health Research Center (Nairobi) and the American Council of Learned Societies. Research interests include kinship studies, religious systems, and the political economy of public health.

Akosua Perbi, Ph.D.

University of Ghana, Legon — Ghana

African History Indigenous Slavery Women in History

Professor Emerita of History at University of Ghana, Legon. Five terms as Head of the Department of History (1992–2006). Expert in indigenous slavery in Africa and women in African history. Fulbright Scholar in residence at Manchester College, Indiana. Author of A History of Indigenous Slavery in Ghana from the 15th to the 19th Century. Recipient of the Second Ghana Women of Excellence Award (2012).

Ngozi U. Emeka-Nwobia, Ph.D.

Ebonyi State University — Nigeria

Sociolinguistics Critical Discourse Gender Studies

Carnegie Scholar and Senior Lecturer in Linguistics and Literary Studies, Ebonyi State University. PhD in Sociolinguistics/Discourse Studies. Former recipient of the SSRC's Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship (2013) and Completion Fellowship (2014). Publications span political and religious discourses, gender discourses, peace/conflict discourses, and women and African studies.

CUc

Chinedu Uchechukwu, Ph.D.

Nnamdi Azikiwe University — Nigeria

Cognitive Linguistics Lexicography Igbo Language

Associate Professor (Reader) of Linguistics at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka (UNIZIK). PhD in Linguistics from Otto-Friedrich University Bamberg, Germany. Holds multiple administrative positions including Head of Department of Linguistics and Faculty Postgraduate Sub-Dean. Author of Igbo Verb and Cognitive Linguistics, The Preposition in Igbo, and Introduction to Lexicography.

GeA

George Emeka Agbo, Ph.D.

University of Nigeria, Nsukka — Nigeria

Visual Arts Photography Art History

Teaches in the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Former Andrew Mellon Doctoral Fellow at the Centre for Humanities Research, University of the Western Cape. Winner of the 2015 Ivan Karp Doctoral Research Award. 2017 Africa-Oxford (AfOx) Visiting Scholar, University of Oxford. Scholarly work focuses on photographic production and circulation, history, art, and politics in Africa.

Jane Akinyi Ngala Oduor, Ph.D.

University of Nairobi — Kenya

Phonology Language Documentation Multilingualism

Senior Lecturer in the Department of Linguistics and Languages at the University of Nairobi. PhD in Linguistics from the University of Nairobi. Research interests in phonology, phonetics, language documentation, and multilingualism with extensive fieldwork across several African countries. Studies the relationship between language and dialect, the linguistic structures of Kenyan and Ethiopian languages, and language policies in education in East African contexts.

Abel Yamwaka Mreta, Ph.D.

University of Dar es Salaam — Tanzania

Morphology Historical Linguistics African Languages

Senior Lecturer of Linguistics in the Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics, University of Dar es Salaam. D.Phil in Linguistics from Bayreuth University, Germany. Teaches linguistic structure, morphology, historical and comparative linguistics, and language documentation. Author of An Analysis of Tense and Aspect in Chasu, Chasu Dictionary, and Kisimbiti Lexicon. Extensive publication record in leading African linguistics journals.

GaM

Gastor Mapunda, Ph.D.

University of Dar es Salaam — Tanzania

Sociolinguistics Language in Education Discourse Analysis

Lecturer of English and Language in Education, University of Dar es Salaam. PhD in Linguistics from UDSM with mentorship from Bristol University, England; post-doctoral fellowship at Bayreuth University, Germany. Currently conducting a sociolinguistic survey of the Ngoni language and culture in southern Tanzania. Publications include research on language endangerment, lexical borrowing, language attitudes, and student naming practices.

ACh

Andy Chebanne, Ph.D.

University of Botswana — Botswana

Khoisan Languages Language Rights Language Policy

Professor in languages and linguistics, Faculty of Humanities, University of Botswana. Educated at the University of Grenoble, France (BA, MA, PhD in Language Sciences). Deputy Director of CASAS (2008–2010); led Africa-wide orthography harmonization. Leading researcher in Khoisan languages, working on documentation and codification of Cua and Tsua (Eastern Kalahari Khoe). Research awards from UNESCO, CASAS, OSISA, University of Botswana, and University of Kyoto.

AnM

Dr. Annah Anikie Molosiwa

University of Botswana — Botswana

Language Education Policy Literacy Education Teacher Development

Senior Lecturer and Head of Department of Languages and Social Sciences Education, University of Botswana. PhD in Teaching, Curriculum and Education Policy from Michigan State University. 25+ years as secondary school teacher, teacher educator, and researcher. Member of Ministry of Education Task Forces for Junior and Senior Secondary Setswana syllabi review. Extensive consultancy experience with UNICEF and Ministry of Education on large-scale nationwide educational studies.

Researchers & Membership

The INARELS Network

Desmond Ikenna Odugu, Ph.D.

Dr. Ifeoma Obuasi

James Zotto, Ph.D.

Gordon Senanu Kwame Adika, Ph.D.

Chidi Ugwu, Ph.D.

Akosua Perbi, Ph.D.

Ngozi U. Emeka-Nwobia, Ph.D.

Chinedu Uchechukwu, Ph.D.

George Emeka Agbo, Ph.D.

Jane Akinyi Ngala Oduor, Ph.D.

Abel Yamwaka Mreta, Ph.D.

Gastor Mapunda, Ph.D.

Andy Chebanne, Ph.D.

Dr. Annah Anikie Molosiwa

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