Kim Ridealgh

Kim Ridealgh is Associate Professor in Sociolinguistics and Head of School for Media, Language and Communication Studies at the University of East Anglia (UEA). Previously, she served as Head of School for Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies, Head of Language and Communication Studies, PPL Admissions Director, and Faculty-lead for Widening Participation. She edits the Journal of Historical Pragmatics and founded the Historical Politeness Network.

Education:

• PhD in Egyptology, Swansea University (2012)
• MA, Swansea University (2008)

Her research examines linguistic manifestations of politeness and interpersonal dynamics in Late Egyptian letters from the New Kingdom and Third Intermediate Period, with additional focus on social dynamics, palaeography, semantics, epistolary texts, female scribal traditions, and historical pragmatics. She teaches 'Language and Society', 'Intercultural Communication across Borders', 'Discourse and Power', and 'Discourse and Representation'.

Recent publications (2020-2024) reveal consistent exploration of discernment politeness, power dynamics, and emotional expression in ancient epistolary texts, particularly Ancient Egyptian. Her work bridges historical pragmatics, sociolinguistics, and Egyptology through comparative analysis of interpersonal relationships in historical contexts.

Supervision and Grants: Ridealgh supervises PhD students in historical politeness, Ancient Egyptian philology, gender studies, and discourse analysis. Her funded projects include:

• 'African Film Archives' (British Academy, 2025-2028)
• 'Transcendence, fantasy and desire: the affective infrastructures of neoliberalism' (ESRC, 2022-2024)
• 'Normal for Norfolk? Exploring Barriers to Higher Education' (ESRC, 2018)
• 'Establishing a Think German Network' (German Embassy, 2016)
• 'Assessing Intervention Impact for Languages in School' (AHRC, 2016)

She coordinates the Historical Politeness Network (https://historicalpoliteness.com/), which fosters international collaboration on politeness research across ancient languages and cultures through workshops, publications, and digital resources.