Uju Anya

Bio

Uju Anya is a scholar of language learning and Black experiences in multilingualism. Her primary fields of inquiry include critical applied linguistics, critical sociolinguistics and critical discourse studies, with a focus on how race, gender, sexual and social class identities intersect with language learning. Her research explores the multilingual journeys of African American students and how these experiences inform identity formation in new language learning contexts. Dr. Anya also brings expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion in instructional practices and curriculum design, language study abroad, applied linguistics as a practice of social justice, intercultural communication, and service-learning in both secondary and university-level language programs.

Her book, Racialized Identities in Second Language Learning: Speaking Blackness in Brazil (Routledge, 2017), examines how students shape and negotiate identities in multilingual contexts. It also proposes multilingual approaches—such as translanguaging and plurilingual practices—as tools for effective language pedagogy. This groundbreaking volume was the first single-authored sociolinguistic study to critically examine the African American experience in language learning and received the 2019 American Association for Applied Linguistics First Book Award for its exceptional contribution to the field. Her second book, a co-edited volume titled Racial Equity on College Campuses: Connecting Research to Practice, was published by SUNY Press in 2021.

Department Member Since 2021