Project Team: Dr. Bonny Norton, Dr. Pippa Stein, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and Dr. Sinfree Makoni, The College of Liberal Arts, Pennsylvania State University

The primary objective of this Research Network (ReN) is to promote literacy and applied linguistics among scholars with an interest in Africa and the African diaspora. It also aims to raise the profile of this research in both local and international communities.

Our ReN brings together a diverse groups of scholars working in highly dispersed fields, including but not restricted to literacy, discourse analysis, language and education, language policy, and language and health, all of which share an important interest in Africa and the diaspora. The inclusion of the term ‘literacy’ is to signal that this research reflects our interest in expanding the circles of research to include scholars who have hitherto not regarded themselves as applied linguists.

An important defining feature of this ReN is the way it takes seriously issues about ethics and research accountability. We are centrally concerned with addressing capacity building and enhancing opportunities for sustainable development as an integral part of research practices within a global context.

Funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Project website: http://www.renafrica.org/
Project Newsletter: http://www.renafrica.org/?page_id=21