BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 METHOD:PUBLISH PRODID:-//Telerik Inc.//Sitefinity CMS 15.1//EN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Eastern Standard Time BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20251102T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=1SU;BYHOUR=2;BYMINUTE=0;BYMONTH=11 TZNAME:Eastern Standard Time TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20250301T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=2SU;BYHOUR=2;BYMINUTE=0;BYMONTH=3 TZNAME:Eastern Daylight Time TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DESCRIPTION:The Moynihan Institute and the Maxwell African Scholars Union p resent \;Adeola Agoke\, director of African Languages Program at the&n bsp\;University of Wisconsin - Madison.Paper Abstract: \;Existing scho larship in African cultural studies\, anthropology\, and applied linguisti cs has explored the role of languages in the expression of knowledge. Howe ver\, the complex interaction of languages\, speakers’ linguistic backgrou nds\, and the expectations of literacies transcends geographical boundarie s and requires a rethinking of what constitutes knowing in educational con texts. This research examines the role of African languages in the ideolog ical processes of meaning-making and how these are entangled with various restrictions and regulations in knowledge production. Drawing on corpus da ta of language practices across contexts\, this study shows how epistemolo gies rooted in colonial ideologies—sustained by academic institutions and regulatory frameworks—inform language practices and the attendant expectat ion of knowing. I argue that expressions of literacies\, especially in con texts where African languages constitute an important part of language use rs’ linguistic repertoires\, transgress the expectations of knowing embedd ed in the monolingual perspective of standard English. Rather than viewing such transgressions as deficits\, I posit that they are integral to knowl edge systems and contribute to ongoing debates on literacies and decoloniz ing education. This study calls for more inclusive knowledge systems that recognize and incorporate speakers’ linguistic realities.Adeola Agoke hold s a Ph.D. in African cultural studies with a specialization in sociocultur al and applied linguistics. Her book manuscript tentatively entitled “Lear ners Linguistic Creativity: Implications for Language Learning and Pedagog ical Practices” draws on ethnographic fieldwork and data analysis to exami ne the processes by which language learners engage their multilingual repe rtoire for interactional practice in- and out-of-classroom settings. Focus ing on Yoruba language learners\, her research draws theoretical insights from critical applied linguistics and critical discourse analysis to chall enge the convention that demarcates language use in formal domains from la nguage use in “the wild\,” an older model that constructs language use in specific environments as ethnolinguistic boundedness. She argues that lear ners’ linguistic creativity constitutes important linguistic resources for developing the standard dialect and effective pedagogical practices withi n the classroom environment.With an interest to bring research into Africa n language programing\, Agoke currently curates learning resources in Afri can languages to enhance contextualized experience of language learning. A lso\, as former Fulbright scholar\, she is very interested in language int ernationalization\, global citizenship and decolonization of teaching curr iculum to enhance multi-representation of voice\, bodies\, and in fact exp eriences of African language learners in and outside of classroom settings . Her ongoing research on classroom social dynamics and instructed SLA for egrounds this perspective. DTEND:20260413T180000Z DTSTAMP:20260510T190951Z DTSTART:20260413T160000Z LOCATION: SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Rethinking the Expectations of Knowing in Educational Contexts: Afr ican Languages and Literacies UID:RFCALITEM639140225915561808 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

The Moynihan Institute and the Maxwell Afri can Scholars Union present \;Adeola Agoke\, director of African L anguages Program at the \;University of Wisconsin - Madiso n.

Paper Abstract: \;

Existing scholarship in African cultural studies\, anthropology\, and appl ied linguistics has explored the role of languages in the expression of kn owledge. However\, the complex interaction of languages\, speakers’ lingui stic backgrounds\, and the expectations of literacies transcends geographi cal boundaries and requires a rethinking of what constitutes knowing in ed ucational contexts. This research examines the role of African languages i n the ideological processes of meaning-making and how these are entangled with various restrictions and regulations in knowledge production. Drawing on corpus data of language practices across contexts\, this study shows h ow epistemologies rooted in colonial ideologies—sustained by academic inst itutions and regulatory frameworks—inform language practices and the atten dant expectation of knowing. I argue that expressions of literacies\, espe cially in contexts where African languages constitute an important part of language users’ linguistic repertoires\, transgress the expectations of k nowing embedded in the monolingual perspective of standard English. Rather than viewing such transgressions as deficits\, I posit that they are inte gral to knowledge systems and contribute to ongoing debates on literacies and decolonizing education. This study calls for more inclusive knowledge systems that recognize and incorporate speakers’ linguistic realities.

Adeola Agoke holds a Ph.D. in African cultural studies with a specialization in sociocultural and applied linguistics. Her book manuscript tentatively entitled “Learners Linguistic Creativity: Implicati ons for Language Learning and Pedagogical Practices” draws on ethnographic fieldwork and data analysis to examine the processes by which language le arners engage their multilingual repertoire for interactional practice in- and out-of-classroom settings.

Focusing on Yoruba language learner s\, her research draws theoretical insights from critical applied linguist ics and critical discourse analysis to challenge the convention that demar cates language use in formal domains from language use in “the wild\,” an older model that constructs language use in specific environments as ethno linguistic boundedness. She argues that learners’ linguistic creativity co nstitutes important linguistic resources for developing the standard diale ct and effective pedagogical practices within the classroom environment.

With an interest to bring research into African language programing\, Agoke currently curates learning resources in African languages to enhanc e contextualized experience of language learning. Also\, as former Fulbrig ht scholar\, she is very interested in language internationalization\, glo bal citizenship and decolonization of teaching curriculum to enhance multi -representation of voice\, bodies\, and in fact experiences of African lan guage learners in and outside of classroom settings. Her ongoing research on classroom social dynamics and instructed SLA foregrounds this perspecti ve.

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