Jean Seraphin Kamdem
Dr Seraphin Kamdem is currently a Research Associate in the School of Languages, Cultures, and Linguistics; at the Centre of African Studies, at SOAS, University of London. He holds a PhD from SOAS. He has taught various undergratuate and postgraduate courses and has given lectures at SOAS, King’s College London, the University of Yaoundé, the University of East London, and at INALCO University in Paris.
His publications and research interests focus on sociolinguistics, African languages and cultures, Global Englishes, Ghɔmálá’ language (Grassfields-Bantu), multilingualism, education, and sociopolitical change in Africa. He has recently co-authored an academic paper entitled ‘Decolonizing Cameroon’s Language Policies – a critical assessment’, recently published in the Applied Linguistics Review (2024).
Dr Kamdem is the chairperson of the Language in Africa (LiA) SIG of the British Association of Applied Linguistics (BAAL). He is in his second mandate as SIG Convenor, having been elected for the first time in the position by his peer members in 2019.
Recent publications:
Kamdem, J. S., Ojongnkpot, C. & Van Pinxteren, B. 2024. ‘Decolonizing Cameroon’s Language Policies: A critical assessment’. Applied Linguistics Review 2024 (De Gruyter, Mouton). pp.1-23.
Wildsmith-Cromarty, R., C. Reilly, and S. Kamdem (eds.). 2023. African Languages in Public Spaces: Opportunities and Challenges. Special Issue of the Journal of Multicultural and Multilingual Development (Routledge), Volume 44 (2023), Issue 9.
Wildsmith-Cromarty, R., Reilly C., and Kamdem, S. 2023. ‘Investigating the opportunities and challenges of African languages in public spaces: An Introduction’. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development (Routledge), Volume 44 (2023), Issue 9. pp.765-772.
Kamdem, J. S. 2020. ‘From dialectal variation to standardisation, production of literature, and pedagogical implications. Revisiting the case of Ghɔmálá’, a Grassfields Bantu language from Cameroon’. In Forlot, G. and Ouvrard L. (eds.). Enseignement des langues et variation linguistique: Le cas des langues moins enseignées. Paris: Presses de l’INALCO, pp. 233-251.
Kamdem, J. S. 2018. ‘Cameroon: Media Freedom at the Crossroads’. The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs; Volume 107, 2018 - Issue 2: pp.217- 219.
Kamdem, J. S. 2018. ‘East Africa Will Meet West Africa through New Linguistic Highways: From Krio in Sierra Leone to Sheng in Zanzibar’. WARA Newsletter, Fall 2018, West African Research Association. pp.9-10.