The Multi-Culture-Verse

Nabila and Sonia join our conversation about Bangladesh culture and North American experience.

Nabila Huq is a PhD candidate in Cultural Studies at Queen’s University in Canada. Previously, She has held many job titles – a Lecturer in English in Dhaka, Bangladesh, a cashier in St. John’s, Newfoundland, a call centre agent and a Library Shelver in British Columbia, and finally a Teaching Assistant in Kingston, Ontario. All these interesting experiences she has accumulated over the years have inspired her to take an autoethnographic approach in her writing. She enjoys having a strong cup of black tea mixed with the right amount milk and with a bite of Frybread.

Sonia Sharmin has been teaching English for 19 years. She began her career in Bangladesh after earning her B.A. (Hons.) in English and subsequently her MA in English Literature from the University of Dhaka. In 2011, Sonia came to the United States as a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant at the University of Georgia. This experience marked a significant turning point in her career as she immersed herself in American academia and culture. She decided to pursue further studies and returned to the University of Georgia, where she completed her Ph.D. in Language and Literacy Education in 2018. During her doctoral studies at UGA, Sonia met her husband, Joseph Samson, in Athens, Georgia, which she fondly refers to as her second home. Sonia, currently serves as a Lecturer in the Department of English and World Languages at Augusta University and Joseph Samson is an Assistant Professor of Medical Illustration at the same institution. Sonia’s academic background, international experience, and dedication to teaching highlight her contributions to the English and World Languages Department, enriching the educational experience for her students. She loves gardening and lives in Augusta, GA with her husband and five beautiful cats.

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Youtube Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@maverickzhang4708

Critical multiculturalism vs. Liberal multiculturalism

• Chun, C. W. (2016). Addressing racialized multicultural discourses in an EAP textbook: Working toward a critical pedagogies approach. Tesol Quarterly, 50(1), 109-131.
• Kubota, R. (2004). Critical multiculturalism and second language education. In B. Norton & K. Toohey (Eds.), Critical pedagogies and language learning (pp. 30–52). Cambridge University Press.
• Kubota, R. (2016). The multi/plural turn, postcolonial theory, and neoliberal multiculturalism: Complicities and implications for applied linguistics. Applied Linguistics, 37(4), 474-494.

Issues around race, ethnicity, and linguistic identities:

• Kubota, R. (2019). A critical examination of common beliefs about language teaching: From research insights to professional engagement. Critical perspectives on global Englishes in Asia: Language policy, curriculum, pedagogy and assessment, 10-26.
• Zhang, M. Y. (2023). Loneliness, ethnicity, and our entangled relationship with the others. BILD. McGill University.

Benji's relevant work

• Chang, B. (2017). Asian Americans and education. In G. W. Noblit (Ed.), The Oxford research  encyclopedia of education. Oxford University Press. DOI:    10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.102
• Chang, B. (2020). From ‘Illmatic’ to ‘Kung Flu’: Black and Asian solidarity, activism, and pedagogies in the Covid-19 era. Postdigital Science and Education. doi:10.1007/s42438-020-00183-8

Maverick's published paper focused on Kim & Yang's experience/words
Zhang, M. Y. (2022a). Embodiment in action: Engaging with the doing and be(com)ing. Linguistics and Education, 71(3), 1-13. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2022.101082


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Originally from Germany, Dr. Tim Jansa is a consultant, coach, and facilitator, with over two decades of experience working in higher education, the nonprofit sector, and helping multinational corporations tackle intercultural communication challenges. Through his research, publications, and teaching, he has built internationally recognized expertise on higher education leadership and international program management, as well as organizational development, communication, and culture.

Dr. Jansa has a doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from Georgia State University. He is a Board and International Coaching Federation (ICF) Certified Coach and also holds certifications as an Agile Coach and Agile Team Facilitator.

You can find more information and get in touch via Dr. Jansa’s website at:

https://leadershipimagined.com/
https://timjansa.com/

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Kit Walker is a high school teacher in Hall County, Georgia. He has taught high school for 7 years and elementary school for 3 years in Guatemala. He earned a B.A. and M.A.T. from University of Georgia, and is currently a Masters student at St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland. Kit has an academic background in English, Spanish, and Tz’utujil Maya, and for the past six years has specialized in teaching Spanish for Native Speakers. His passion is building strong bilingual skills in young people and fostering heritage languages. At his school, Kit is a swim coach and bus driver. Outside of school, he enjoys hiking, playing music, and visiting friends in Guatemala.

Documentaries
https://youtu.be/iAYgz96rHaY?si=gcnsMV-tjj2bOwvW

https://youtu.be/j9E6bUrVHVE?si=NkpsOniKtNSdaZVQ

If You're Slow The Mind Will Catch You: https://www.amazon.com/Youre-Slow-Mind-Will-Catch/dp/B09MB5NX9H

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In this episode we talk to Sébastien Roussillat and Anastasia Peliavska.

Sébastien was born in Rennes (France). He went to China in 2007 to study Chinese. In 2011, he won the Chinese competition "Hanyuqiao"(汉语桥) for foreign students in China and then worked as a journalist for three years. He also worked at Tianjin TV and Luxembourg Embassy in Beijing. He is now a Chinese teacher in Rennes at a local university and high school. 

Anastasia Peliavska was born in 1989 in Kiev (Ukraine). She studied Chinese at Kiev Foreign Languages University. She went to China in 2009 in Dalian and decided to go back to China to study at Jilin University. She obtained a master degree of Chinese as a foreign language. She took part in Chinese competition “Hanyuqiao”(汉语桥) in 2012. She then worked as a Russian language journalist at China.org and China Pictorial. She published drawings for a book about cultural differences between China and Russia. She is now a Chinese teacher at Sévigné High School in Rennes.
china.org


News:
http://www.china.org.cn/learning_chinese/news/2011-09/05/content_23356476.htm



Documentary:
YING XIONG- Bande annonce - KuB

Book: Comment devenir aussi sage qu'un chinois? (How to become as wise as a Chinese)

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In this episode, we sit down with Hillary Van Mansfeld and Sergio Kelsor. They met in Beijing, and shared interesting stories with us about their experience living and working abroad in China. Hillary founded the Female Health Empowerment Network in China where women could exchange tips and have a safe space to ask medical questions. She’s currently working towards an associates in biology and certifications in holistic nutrition. Sergio served as a school administrator at a foreign language academy and taught adult refugees English as a second language here in the US. He has since traveled to Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, and more.

Sandra, Michael and Bryan sit down with Cherry Donald, an associate director of the preschool ministry at Gwinnett Church.

Cherry is a mother of 3 beautiful children. she talks about the challenges as an immigrant family after her father’s passing, special needs childcare, AAPI issues, and finding her faith. The episode was recorded in 2023.

In this episode, Sandra and Bryan sit down with Dr. Santosh Vempala, a distinguished professor at Georgia Tech. We talk to him about growing up in India, his family, and funny stories of being an immigrant in the US. The episode was recorded in 2022.

Dr. Santosh Vempala
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=hRggMmIAAAAJ

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santosh_Vempala

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We sit down with Sam Lin, a long-time friend and founder of Visionary Education Consulting in Fouzhou China. He tells us about being an international student in Missouri, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and compares the education systems and cultural perspectives in China and US. We also discusses some mental health and cultural identity issues.

Sam Lin
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samlin1990/