Sinfree Makoni

Sinfree Makoni is a Professor in the Department of Applied Linguistics and Director of the African Studies Program at Pennsylvania State University, with additional academic appointments as Extraordinary Professor at the University of the Western Cape and North-West University, and Visiting Professor at Nelson Mandela University. His career includes a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan's Centre for Afro-American Studies and a Carnegie Diaspora Fellowship at Laikipia University, Kenya.

Education:

• Ph.D., Applied Linguistics, University of Edinburgh (1989)
• B.A. (Hons), English Linguistics, University of Ghana, Legon

Makoni's research critically engages with decolonial frameworks in linguistics, focusing on:

• Language Policy/Planning: Colonial legacies and grassroots resistance in Africa
• Southern Epistemologies: Centering non-Western knowledge systems
• Discursive Power: Terrorism narratives, health communication, and human rights
• Language & Society: Aging, security, and music in postcolonial contexts

His publications demonstrate consistent emphasis on deconstructing colonial linguistic hierarchies through monographs like Innovations and Challenges to Applied Linguistics from the Global South (2020) and edited volumes on decolonial pedagogy.

Awards:

• Carnegie Diaspora Fellowship (Laikipia University)

As architect of the African Studies Global Forum and co-editor of the Global Forum on Southern Epistemologies book series, he fosters Global South scholarly dialogue. He currently serves as Associate Editor for Applied Linguistics.