About Me

I am an associate professor in the Language, Literacy, and Culture Program and an affiliate associate professor in the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies at UMBC. My CV provides a complete overview of my professional information, and click here for my Google Scholar profile. Please contact me at <mallinson AT umbc DOT edu> for more information.

In my research I study language in its social context, with a focus on English in the U.S. — specifically Southern English, Appalachian English, and African American varieties. I examine the role of English language variation in the construction and negotiation of identities and cultures and as a central mechanism in the reproduction of social inequalities, particularly in education. My research, as well as my teaching and engagement, reflect my longstanding personal commitment to conduct and apply academic research within a social justice framework.

I have co-authored two books with Dr. Anne H. Charity Hudley. In 2011, Understanding English Language Variation in U.S. Schools was published in the Teachers College Press Multicultural Education Series (order it through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or TCP). In 2014, We Do Language: English Language Variation in the Secondary English Classroom, was published, also Teachers College Press (order it through Teachers College Press, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble).