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Colin Reilly

Position
Research Assistant, University of Essex

Colin joined Essex in 2019 as a Senior Research Officer. He works on the British Academy-Global Challenges Research Fund project "Bringing the outside in: Merging local language and literacy practices to enhance classroom learning and achievement." His research focuses on multilingualism and language policy within Sub Saharan Africa. He is particularly interested in exploring ways in which translanguaging can engage with language policy and planning.

The BA-GCRF project he currently works on investigates language practices in classrooms in Botswana, Tanzania, and Zambia. He also has extensive experience conducting research in Malawi. This includes his PhD research which involved linguistic ethnographic work investigating the sociolinguistics of higher education in Malawi. Prior to joining Essex, he was a Research Assistant on a Scottish Funding Council-Global Challenges Research Fund project investigating the relationship between language policy, skills formation, and labour market outcomes in Malawi.

He collaborated with Tracey Costley on the Seminar 3 Digital Provocation "Coming to Terms with Not Knowing – Honesty, Accountability and Welcoming Others in Ethnography".