Susana Castillo-Rodriguez

Susana Castillo-Rodriguez is an Associate Professor of Spanish in the Department of Global Languages and Cultures at the State University of New York at Geneseo. She joined the Geneseo faculty in 2017 and serves as Co-Coordinator of the Black and Africana Studies program and Faculty leader of the study abroad program in Equatorial Guinea. She is currently on sabbatical for Spring 2025.

Dr. Castillo-Rodriguez holds two PhDs: one in Hispanic Linguistics from The Graduate Center, CUNY (2013) and another in Social Anthropology from Complutense University, Madrid (2000). She also earned a B.A. in Sociology from Complutense University, Madrid (1992).

Her research focuses on Colonial Linguistics, Language Policy and Planning, and Language Ideologies, particularly in Central-Western Africa, and most specifically in Equatorial Guinea. She has made significant contributions to understanding the linguistic landscape of Equatorial Guinea, examining how Spanish colonialism shaped language policies and practices in the region. Her work reveals how missionary activities, colonial governance, and post-colonial developments have shaped linguistic practices and ideologies, with particular attention to the multilingual context including Spanish, French, Portuguese, and various indigenous languages.

Dr. Castillo-Rodriguez's scholarly contributions have been recognized through her affiliations with several professional organizations including the Association of Portuguese- and Spanish-Lexified Creoles (ACBLPE), the Asociación Española de Africanistas (AEA), the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA), the International Association of Colonial and Postcolonial Linguistics (IACPL), and the New York African Studies Association (NYASA).

At SUNY Geneseo, Dr. Castillo-Rodriguez teaches courses including SPAN 101: Elementary Spanish I, an introductory communication-based language course, and SPAN 388: Exp: Talk (about) Spanglish. Her teaching reflects her expertise in Spanish linguistics and sociolinguistics. Beyond her academic work, she has interests in yoga, running, travel, and reading.