Staff Profile

Introduction

I was appointed Lecturer in Applied Linguistics and Communication at Newcastle University in January 2019 having previously worked as a Research Associate.

Background

In 2017, I completed a PhD in Education at Durham University with a thesis entitled: ‘Mandarin Chinese community schooling in England: language, culture and pupils’ identities’. 

I have experience of delivering different aspects of European Commission funded projects (LLP and ERASMUS ) on themes related to internationalisation, interculturality, and the development of learning and teaching resources. 

After graduating in Chinese culture and language from the University of Ca’ Foscari, Venice, and completing a master’s degree in International Cooperation and Development, I worked for seven years in the voluntary sector (North of England Refugee Service and Oxfam UK Poverty Programme) in the UK as project staff and researcher working with migrant and refugee women and young people. 

Qualifications and Awards

•            2008 – 2009    Master’s degree in International Cooperation and Development, The Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI), Milan, Italy.

•            2005 – 2007    Master’s degree in Languages and Civilisations of Eastern Asia (Chinese linguistics and history), Ca’ Foscari, University of Venice, Italy.

•            2001 – 2004    BA in Languages and Cultures of Eastern Asia (Mandarin Chinese language), Ca’ Foscari, University of Venice, Italy.

•            Fellow of The Higher Education Academy.

•            Durham University Faculty of Social Sciences and Health Postgraduate Publication Bursary 2017

Peer Review Experience 

I act as a reviewer for the following academic journals:

• International Journal of Applied Linguistics
• Journal of International and Intercultural Communication
• Language and Intercultural Communication
• The Language Learning Journal
• Journal of Language, Identity & Education
• Frontiers of Education in China
• Journal of Virtual Exchange

SCOPUS: Click here.

I research intercultural education and communication, with a particular interest in the interplay of language, culture, and identity in mobility and migratory contexts. 

I would welcome applications from potential doctorate students on the following topics:

• Internationalisation of Chinese Higher Education
• Heritage Language Education
• Language Policy & Planning in Greater China and in South-East Asia
• Minority, Migrant & Refugee Communities (construction of language, culture, and identity)
• Multilingualism & Multilingual Research (theory and methodology)

I am interested in supervising projects that draw on ethnographic and qualitative approaches

CURRENT PROJECTS

Principal Investigator on the ESRI project: Researching the experiences of highly skilled refugee women in collaboration with the University of West London, funded by the British Academy Leverhulme Small Grants Fund SRG22/220406

PAST PROJECTS

Erasmus funded project Global Citizenship and Multilingual Competences GCMC

Enhancing Internationalisation of Chinese Higher Education Institutions: An Intercultural Approach 中国高校国际化建设：跨文化的路径 in collaboration with the School of English, Harbin Institute of Technology (PRC)

ENACT Communities, Languages and Activities App [Erasmus Key Action 2 Adult Education 2019-1-UK01-KA203-061567]

CSLW Critical Skills for Life and Work: Developing the Professional Intercultural Communicative Competence of Highly Skilled Refugees [Erasmus Key Action 2 Adult Education 2017-1-UK01_KA204-036667]

In am module leader for:

• ALC8037 Multilingualism

• ALC8013 Introduction to Intercultural Communication

• ALC8003 Research Methods

• Articles

  • Ganassin S, Georgiou A. Researching vulnerable multilinguals: Developing an inclusive research practice. Language Teaching 2023, 56(1), 143-145.
  • Holmes P, Ganassin S, Song Li. Reflections on the co-construction of an interpretive approach to interculturality for higher education in China. Language and Intercultural Communication 2022, 22(5), 503-518.
  • Ganassin S, Satar M, Regan A. Virtual exchange for internationalisation at home in China: staff perspectives. Journal of Virtual Exchange 2021, 4(SI-IVEC2020), 95-116.
  • Ganassin S, Young TJ. From surviving to thriving: 'success stories' of highly skilled refugees in the UK. Language and Intercultural Communication 2020, 20, 125-140.
  • Ganassin S, Holmes P. ‘I Was Surprised to See You in a Chinese School’: Researching Multilingually Opportunities and Challenges in Community-Based Research. Applied Linguistics 2020, 41(6), 827-854.
  • Ganassin S. Teaching and learning about Chinese culture: pupils’ and teachers’ experiences of Chinese community schooling in the UK. Language and Intercultural Communication 2019, 19(2), 167-183.
  • Ganassin S. Understanding intercultural communication: negotiating a grammar of culture, 2nd edition, by Adrian Holliday [Book review]. Language and Intercultural Communication 2019, 19(5), 441-443.
  • Holmes P, Bavieri L, Ganassin S, Murphy J. Interculturality and the study abroad experience: Students’ learning from the IEREST materials. Language and Intercultural Communication 2016, 16(3), 452-469.
  • Holmes P, Bavieri L, Ganassin S. Developing intercultural understanding for study abroad: Students’ and teachers’ perspectives on pre-departure intercultural learning. Intercultural Education 2015, 26(1), 16-30.
  • Ganassin S, Holmes P. Multilingual research practices in community research: The case of migrant/refugee women in North East England. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 2013, (23), 342-356.

• Authored Books

  • Holmes P, Reynolds J, Ganassin S. The Politics of Researching Multilingually. Bristol: Channel View Publications, 2022.
  • Young TJ, Ganassin S, Schneider S, Schartner A, Walsh S. Intercultural Challenges for the Reintegration of Displaced Professionals: A Response to the Language Learning Needs of Refugees in Europe. London and New York: Routledge, 2022.
  • Ganassin S. Language, Culture and Identity in Two Chinese Community Schools. More than One Way of Being Chinese?. Bristol: Multilingual Matters, 2020.
  • Atabong A, Baten L, Bavieri L, Beaven A, Borghetti C, Cebron N, Gallardo M, Ganassin S, Golubeva I, Holmes P, Livatino L. IEREST: Intercultural Education Resources for Erasmus Students and their Teachers. Koper: Annales University Press, 2015.

• Book Chapters

  • Holmes P, Reynolds J, Ganassin S. Introduction: The Imperative for the Politics of 'Researching Multilingually'. In: The Politics of Researching Multilingually. Multilingual Matters, 2022, pp.1-27.
  • Young TJ, Ganassin S, Schartner A. Culture and Intercultural Communication. In: Tammy Gregersen, Sarah Mercer, ed. The Routledge Handbook of the Psychology of Language Learning and Teaching. London: Routledge, 2022, pp.300-312.
  • Holmes P, Reynolds J, Ganassin S. Afterword. In: The Politics of Researching Multilingually. Bristol: Channel View Publications, 2022, pp.345-352.
  • Ganassin S. Chinese commmunity schools in England as intercultural educational spaces: Pupils', parents' and teachers' constructions of the Chinese language. In: Jin, T; Dervin, F, ed. Interculturality in Chinese Language Education. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • Young TJ, Ganassin S, Schneider S. Intercultural communication and language learning for professional reintegration – ‘success stories’ from refugees in Europe . In: Multilingualism/plurilingualism, teaching, learning, complexity and integrity: epistemological, pedagogical and political perspectives. 2023, University Paul Valery, Montpellier, France: University Paul Valery.
  • Ganassin S, Young TJ, Schneider S. Intercultural responses to the needs of refugees in Europe: Supporting the professional re-integration of highly-skilled displaced people. In: International Association of Language and Intercultural Communication Conference. 2022, University of Lisbon, Portugal.
  • Young TJ, Schartner A, Ganasssin S, Schneider S, Walsh W. Intercultural Challenges for the Reintegration of Displaced Professionals. In: 17th International Conference on Language and Social Psychology (ICLASP17). 2022, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University: ICLASP.
  • Valdivia-Murgueytio R, Ganassin S. Towards a decolonial classroom: promoting global citizenship and multilingualism in secondary schools. In: International Association for Languages and Intercultural Communication (IALIC). 2021, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia.
  • Ganassin S. The intercultural dimension of Chinese community schooling: fluidity and complexity in Chinese migrant identity. In: International Conference on Community/Heritage Language Education. 2021, Sydney Institute of Community Languages Education, Sydney, Australia: The University of Sydney.
  • Ganassin S, Satar M, Li S. Internationalisation in Chinese Higher Education: promoting equitable international and intercultural experiences through virtual exchange. In: International Rich-Ed Conference: Intercultural Learning in Higher Education in China: Global, Local and Glocal Perspectives. 2021, University of Nottingham Ningbo China (and online): RICH-Ed.
  • Young TJ, Mercer S, Ganassin S, Babic S, Schartner A, Schneider S, Walsh S. Intercultural communication and language learning for professional reintegration: 'success stories' from the European refugee crisis. In: American Association for Applied Linguistics Annual Meeting 2021. 2021, Denver, CO, USA.
  • Ganassin S, Satar M, Song L. Internationalisation in Chinese Higher Education in the time of the Belt and Road Initiative: The experience of Harbin Institute of Harbin Institute of Technology. In: The International Virtual Exchange Conference (IVEC). 2020, Newcastle upon Tyne: IVEC.
  • Ganassin S, Walsh S, Young TJ, Schartner A. The Critical Skills for Life and Work Project: Intercultural Communicative Competence and the Reintegration of Refugee Professionals in Europe. In: International Association for Intercultural Research 11th Biannual Conference. 2019, Shanghai, China.
  • Ganassin S, Holmes P, Song Li. 'European' and 'Chinese' co-construction of an intercultural pedagogy for internationalisation of universities in 'new' China. In: 11th Biennial Conference of the International Academy for Intercultural Research. 2019, Shanghai International Studies University: International Academy for Intercultural Research.
  • Young TJ, Schartner A, Ganassin S, Walsh S. Displacement and Professional Reintegration – ‘Success Stories’ from the European Refugee Crisis. In: European Association of Social Psychology Annual Conference. 2019, University of Bologna, Italy.
  • Holmes P, Ganassin S. The RICH-Ed project: The co-construction of an intercultural pedagogy to support internationalisation in Chinese universities. In: 14th Annual International Conference of the China Association for Intercultural Communication (CAFIC). 2018, Shandong University, Jinan, China: CAFIC.
  • Holmes P, Ganassin S. The “good” interculturalist in action: “European” and “Chinese” coconstruction of an intercultural pedagogy for internationalisation of universities in “New” China. In: IALIC 2018. The 'good' interculturalist yesterday, today and tomorrow: Everyday life-theory-research-policy-practice. 2018, University of Helsinki, Finland.
  • Ganassin S, Young T. How can interculturality support personal and professional success? ‘Success stories’ of highly-skilled refugees in Europe . In: IALIC 2018 Conference. The 'good' interculturalist yesterday, today and tomorrow: Everyday life-theory-research-policy-practice. 2018, University of Helsinki, Finland.
  • Ganassin S. ‘I am proud to be Chinese’ Mandarin Chinese community schooling in Britain: Language, culture and pupils’ identities. In: 5th International Conference on Chinese as a Second Language Research (CASLAR). 2018, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong: CACLER.
  • Ganassin S. Teachers’ perspectives on Chinese community schooling in the UK: Chinese as heritage or foreign language?. In: Being and Becoming a Teacher of Chinese as a Foreign and Second Language Today Conference. 2017, University of Helsinki and the Confucius Institute of the University of Helsinki, Finland.
  • Holmes P, Ganassin S. Researching multilingually: Theory and practice. In: EUROMEC (European Identity, Culture, Exchanges and Multilingualism) International Conference: Identities in urban contexts: The European multilingual city. 2017, Trinity College, Dublin.
  • Ganassin S. Classroom language ecologies and Chinese community schooling. In: IALIC 2016 Bridging across languages and cultures in everyday lives: new roles for changing scenarios. 2016, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

• Edited Books

  • Consoli S, Ganassin S, ed. Reflexivity in Applied Linguistics. Routledge, 2023. In Preparation.
  • Holmes P, Reynolds J, Ganassin S, ed. The Politics of Researching Multilingually. Bristol: Multilingual Matters, 2022.

• Reports

  • Ganassin S, Satar M, Thinh NP, Regan A. Designing a collaborative and virtual exchange-embedded virtual summer school. University of Groningen Press, 2023. Journal of Virtual Exchange.
  • Hudson M, Ganassin S. Aspen Futures: A research report on the cultural inequality of women and its solutions. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: North of England Refugee Service, 2010.