Jennifer Leeman

Jennifer Leeman is a Professor at George Mason University, focusing on the sociopolitics of language, with emphasis on multilingualism, Spanish in the US, and heritage language education. Her interdisciplinary work bridges critical applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, education, Latinx studies, and linguistic anthropology.

• BA in Spanish, University of Pennsylvania
• MA in Hispanic Civilization, New York University in Madrid
• MAT in TESOL & Bilingual Education, Georgetown University
• PhD in Hispanic Linguistics, Georgetown University

Her research examines:

• Language ideologies and racialization processes in censuses
• Antiracist pedagogical frameworks for Spanish teaching
• Multilingual policy analysis across education and governance
• Critical service-learning in heritage language contexts

Recent publications analyze census categorization, language and immigration policies, and critical pedagogy implementation. She received a 2024-25 Fulbright Senior Scholar award for research at the University of Murcia, Spain, and a 2023-24 Residential fellowship at Mason's Center for Humanities Research.

Key scientific contributions include:

• Pioneering the online graduate certificate in Spanish Heritage Language Education (2021)
• Leadership roles in AAAL, MLA, and Instituto Cervantes’ advisory committees
• Editorial board memberships across journals like Language Policy and Hispania

Her 15 most recent articles (2018-2025) reveal trends in:

• Language-race-national identity intersections
• Census-driven ethnoracial classifications
• Antiracist pedagogy in language classrooms
• Heritage speaker identity dynamics
• Monolingual policy critiques
• Transnational demographic analysis

Contact: jleeman@gmu.edu | Office: Horizon Hall 5132