Thematic Issue 39/2: Rethinking language education of the Global South in the age of Artificial Intelligence
2025-03-10
This special issue aims to fill a gap in Artificial Intelligence (AI) theory, research and pedagogical practices in language education in the Global South. Through critical and/or decolonial studies, research and reflections from the field of Critical Applied Linguistics (Silva and Cobucci, 2024; Antia and Makoni, 2023; Makoni et. al., 2023; Pennycook and Makoni, 2020; Ndlovu and Leketi, 2020), this special issue aims to offer critical insights and theoretical-methodological implications for reimagining both language teaching and language teacher education in the age of AI.
Contributors will be able to explore a wide range of issues, reflections and innovations in AI and language teaching and teacher education for and in multidiverse contexts, including ESL, EFL, additional language teaching and learning, international student mobility programs and language teacher education programs. The topics and themes that may be presented, discussed and problematized are: critical literacy in AI, teaching and assessment of an additional language based on GenAI, perceptions of teachers and students, development of tools for language learning, as well as considerations aimed at (re)constructing more ethical and critical orientations and/or guidelines, based on an intercultural, plurilingual, collaborative and dialogical process.
Linha D'Água is indexed in: Web of Science - Clarivate (ESCI), MLA, MIAR, Latindex, REDIB, Linguistic Bibliography, DOAJ, among others.
Expected Publication: August 2026.
Universidade de Brasília/CNPq, Brasil
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7815-7767
Kleber Aparecido da Silva is Associate Professor 4 of the Languages Course (Brazilian Portuguese as a Second Language) and the International Relations Course and is a researcher/professor in the Graduate Program in Linguistics and International Relations at the University of Brasília. His main fields of interest include languages, artificial intelligence, gender, race and language education; race, international relations and (de)colonialities; languages, discourse and identities; (multi)literacies, language/international policies and critical education in teacher training. He has a CNPq Research Productivity scholarship.
Lauro Sérgio Machado Pereira
Instituto Federal do Norte de Minas Gerais, Brasil
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7144-2733
Lauro Sérgio Machado Pereira has a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Brasília. He teaches English at the Federal Institute of Northern Minas Gerais (IFNMG). His research interests include critical applied linguistics, continuing English teacher education, collaborative-critical action research, internationalization of education and language policies.
Leketi Makalela
University of the Witwatersrand, África do Sul
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6375-5839
Leketi Makalela is the director of the Hub for Multilingual Education and Literacies at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa and is a visiting professor at the City University of New York. His research interests include translingualism, African multilingualism and African languages and literacies.
References
Antia, B. E; Makoni, S. (2023). Southernizing Sociolinguistics: Colonialism, Racism, and Patriarchy in Language in the Global South. London, UK: Routledge.
Makoni, S.; Kaiper-Marquez, A.; Mokwena, L. (2022). The Routledge Handbook of Language and the Global South/s. London, UK: Routledge.
Makoni, S. (2019). Conflicting reactions to chi‟ixnakax utxiwa. Language, Culture and Society, 1(1), 147-151.
Ndlovu; F.; Leketi, L. (2020). Decolonising Multilingualism in Africa: Recentering Silenced Voices from the Global South. London, UK: Routledge.
Pennycook, A. & Makoni, S. (2019). Applied Linguistics from the Global South. London, UK: Routledge.
Silva, K. A.; Cobucci, P. (2025) Perspectivas decoloniais nos estudos da linguagem. Campinas, SP: Mercado de Letras.
Contributors will be able to explore a wide range of issues, reflections and innovations in AI and language teaching and teacher education for and in multidiverse contexts, including ESL, EFL, additional language teaching and learning, international student mobility programs and language teacher education programs. The topics and themes that may be presented, discussed and problematized are: critical literacy in AI, teaching and assessment of an additional language based on GenAI, perceptions of teachers and students, development of tools for language learning, as well as considerations aimed at (re)constructing more ethical and critical orientations and/or guidelines, based on an intercultural, plurilingual, collaborative and dialogical process.
Linha D’Água welcomes submissions in Portuguese, English, French or Spanish. To access the submission guidelines, please click on https://www.revistas.usp.br/linhadagua/about/submissions
Linha D'Água is indexed in: Web of Science - Clarivate (ESCI), MLA, MIAR, Latindex, REDIB, Linguistic Bibliography, DOAJ, among others.
New submission deadline: February 13th, 2026.
Expected Publication: August 2026.
Guest Editor:
Kleber Aparecido da SilvaUniversidade de Brasília/CNPq, Brasil
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7815-7767
Kleber Aparecido da Silva is Associate Professor 4 of the Languages Course (Brazilian Portuguese as a Second Language) and the International Relations Course and is a researcher/professor in the Graduate Program in Linguistics and International Relations at the University of Brasília. His main fields of interest include languages, artificial intelligence, gender, race and language education; race, international relations and (de)colonialities; languages, discourse and identities; (multi)literacies, language/international policies and critical education in teacher training. He has a CNPq Research Productivity scholarship.
Lauro Sérgio Machado Pereira
Instituto Federal do Norte de Minas Gerais, Brasil
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7144-2733
Lauro Sérgio Machado Pereira has a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Brasília. He teaches English at the Federal Institute of Northern Minas Gerais (IFNMG). His research interests include critical applied linguistics, continuing English teacher education, collaborative-critical action research, internationalization of education and language policies.
Leketi Makalela
University of the Witwatersrand, África do Sul
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6375-5839
Leketi Makalela is the director of the Hub for Multilingual Education and Literacies at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa and is a visiting professor at the City University of New York. His research interests include translingualism, African multilingualism and African languages and literacies.
References
Antia, B. E; Makoni, S. (2023). Southernizing Sociolinguistics: Colonialism, Racism, and Patriarchy in Language in the Global South. London, UK: Routledge.
Makoni, S.; Kaiper-Marquez, A.; Mokwena, L. (2022). The Routledge Handbook of Language and the Global South/s. London, UK: Routledge.
Makoni, S. (2019). Conflicting reactions to chi‟ixnakax utxiwa. Language, Culture and Society, 1(1), 147-151.
Ndlovu; F.; Leketi, L. (2020). Decolonising Multilingualism in Africa: Recentering Silenced Voices from the Global South. London, UK: Routledge.
Pennycook, A. & Makoni, S. (2019). Applied Linguistics from the Global South. London, UK: Routledge.
Silva, K. A.; Cobucci, P. (2025) Perspectivas decoloniais nos estudos da linguagem. Campinas, SP: Mercado de Letras.
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