Dr Seraphin Kamdem

Dr Seraphin Kamdem studied at the University of Yaoundé, Cameroon; University of East Anglia, Norwich, England; University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, USA; and SOAS University of London, U.K.  

Seraphin is currently a Research Associate  in the School of Languages, Cultures, and Linguistics; and the Centre of African Studies, at SOAS, University of London. He holds a PhD from SOAS. His doctoral thesis focused on African languages and education, investigating multilingual adult literacy in the rural areas of Cameroon, in Africa. His initial research into adult literacy as a psycholinguistic skill and an educational activity expanded into investigating issues of social status and identities of adult learners, grassroots agency and institutional development, local ownership, and community response; all mediated through literacy as an endogenous and community-based enterprise.

Seraphin has taught various UG and PG courses and given lectures at SOAS; King’s College, London; the University of Yaoundé; the University of East London, and at INALCO University (Sorbonne-Paris-Cité) in Paris.

His publications and research interests focus on sociolinguistics in Africa, African languages and cultures, Ghɔmálá’ language (Grassfields-Bantu), multilingualism, education, and sociopolitical change in Africa.

Seraphin is the Chairperson (Convenor) 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.

Some recent publications:

• Kamdem, J. S. 2018. ‘Cameroon: Media Freedom at the Crossroads’. The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs; Volume 107, 2018 - Issue 2: 217- 219. 
• 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.
• 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., Van Pinxteren, B., & Ojongnkpot, C. 2024. (forthcoming). Decolonizing Cameroon’s Language Policies: A critical assessment.

• Sociolinguistics
• African languages and cultures
• Ghɔmálá’ language (Grassfields-Bantu)
• Bilingualism and multilingualism
• Adult literacy
• African language pedagogy
• Production of didactic materials
• Culture in Africa
• Education in Africa
• Global Englishes, and Media and political change in Africa.