Abu Saleh Mohammad Rafi, PhD

Abu Saleh Mohammad Rafi, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh. He holds a Visiting Research Fellowship at the University of Groningen, Netherlands, and is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of South Australia, contributing to the Australian Research Council–funded national project Starting Young: Early Years Language Learning in Australia.

Dr Rafi’s research focuses on multilingualism, translanguaging pedagogies, language policy, and critical AI studies. He has published extensively in leading international journals in applied linguistics, including Applied Linguistics (Oxford University Press), English Today (Cambridge University Press), ELT Journal (Oxford University Press), Applied Linguistics Review, International Journal of Educational Development, International Journal of Multilingualism, Language, Identity & Education, Teaching in Higher Education, Classroom Discourse, and Critical Inquiry in Language Studies. His work also appears in invited chapters in edited volumes published by Springer, Routledge, and Vernon Press, and he co-edited the 2023 Critical Inquiry in Language Studies special issue.

In 2024, Dr Rafi convened the International Conference on the Trans‑Phenomenon in Language, Literature, and Culture, hosted by the Department of English and Humanities at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh. Later that year, he was recognized as the Rising Scholar at Language Metamorphosis: Implications for Language Education in Decolonial Contexts (LMLEDC), organized by the BRAC Institute of Languages (BIL) at BRAC University, Bangladesh (28–30 November 2024). In 2025, he was invited by the Bangladesh University Grants Commission (UGC) to serve as Project Evaluator for the national Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) Project (20–22 May). Subsequently, he contributed to the International Postgraduate & Early-Career Researchers in Applied Linguistics Symposium (IPEALS 2025) as an Invited Mentor and Discussant, supporting emerging voices in applied linguistics in a virtual symposium organized by the Malaysian Association of Applied Linguistics (21 December 2025). He was also an Invited Panel Speaker at the International Conference on Challenges and Trends in Arts and Social Sciences (ICCTASS 2025), hosted by the American International University–Bangladesh (12 December 2025), where he shared insights on AI ethics, education, and legal frameworks for building a sustainable future.

Dr Rafi has previously delivered keynote addresses at the 10th and 11th International Conferences on Language and Literacy Education at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, and at the International Conference on Translation and Intercultural Education (Wuhan Forum) at China Three Gorges University. He has given invited talks at institutions including McGill University (Canada), James Cook University (Australia), University of Groningen (Netherlands), UMT University (Pakistan), Buriram Rajabhat University (Thailand), and over fifteen other universities across the Global South and North. He offered a session at the 2025 DAAD Winter School and delivered a keynote at the Online International Conference on Second Language Writing at Tlemcen University, Algeria, on 11–12 February 2026.

Program Affiliation
Department of English & Humanities (DEH)
Education

Doctor of Philosophy (Linguistics)
James Cook University, Australia | 2018–2022
Thesis: Pedagogical Benefits, Ideological and Practical Challenges, and Implementational Spaces of a Translanguaging Education Policy: The Case of Bangladeshi Higher Education
Supervisors: Anne-Marie Morgan; Florence Boulard; Finex Ndhlovu; Susan Feez.
Examination outcome: Exceptional (Top 5%).

Master of Arts (Sociolinguistics)
Liverpool Hope University, United Kingdom | 2015–2017
First in overall merit order.

Areas of Interest

Translanguaging, Critical AI Studies, Applied Linguistics, Educational Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Critical Race Theory, Multicultural Education

Research project

Faculty of Arts Research Fellow
Faculty of Arts Research Fellowship Programme, University of Groningen, The Netherlands | 2025

Selected as one of four successful applicants from a competitive international pool. One-semester research residency with guest researcher status; funded collaboration with Dr Josh Prada to replicate the study Linguistic Ecology of Bangladeshi Higher Education: A Translanguaging Perspective in the Dutch higher education context.
 

Senior Research Fellow
ARC Discovery Project: Early Years Languages Learning in Australia (PG110791)
University of South Australia | 2024–Present
Chief Investigators: Anne-Marie Morgan (UniSA); Joseph Lo Bianco (University of Melbourne); John Hajek (University of Melbourne); Liz Ellis (University of New England).

 

Awards & Honours
  • JCU College of Arts, Society and Education MRF Competitive Funding Award (2021).
  • JCU Postgraduate Research Scholarship (2020–2022).
  • Keith and Dorothy Mackay Travelling Scholarship, Georgetown University Roundtable (2020).
  • UNE International Postgraduate Research Award (2018–2019).
  • Liverpool Hope University International Postgraduate Award (2016–2017).
Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications (Oxford & Cambridge)

  • Rafi, A. S. M. (2026). ELT teachers and the July revolution: Identity, pedagogy, wisdom. ELT Journal. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccag002
  • Rafi, A. S. M., & Tian, Z. (2026). Ten Years of Translanguaging: Reflections and Future Directions in Dialogue with Ofelia García and Li Wei. Applied Linguistics. Oxford University Press. https://apps.crossref.org/pendingpub/pendingpub.html?doi=10.1093%2Fapplin%2Famag036
  • Rafi, A. S. M. (Forthcoming). Language classrooms as civic infrastructure: Translanguaging, SEL, and reconciliation after the July Revolution in Bangladesh. In L. J. Pentón Herrera & D. Xerri (Eds.), Conflict and language education: Sociological perspectives on dialogue, reconciliation, and civic participation. Oxford University Press.
  • Rafi, A. S. M. (2025). Bogged down ELT, bailed-out CLT?: Translanguaging steps in a context-sensitive response to Bangladesh’s ELT crisis. English Today. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266078425000148
  • Rafi, A. S. M. (2023). The invention of multilingualism (David Gramling) and multilingual perspectives on translanguaging (Jeff MacSwan). Applied Linguistics. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amad052
Full list of Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
  1. Alzahrani, A., & Rafi, A. S. M. (2026). Emergent gendered AI learning ecologies in AI-mediated writing tasks: A critical comparative case study. Interactive Learning Environments. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2026.2683034
  2. Rafi, A. S. M. (2026). ELT teachers and the July revolution: Identity, pedagogy, wisdom. ELT Journal. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccag002
  3. Rafi, A. S. M. (2025). Bogged down ELT, bailed-out CLT?: Translanguaging steps in a context-sensitive response to Bangladesh’s ELT crisis. English Today. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266078425000148
  4. Rafi, A. S. M., & Tian, Z. (Forthcoming). Ten years of translanguaging: Reflections and future directions. Applied Linguistics. Oxford University Press.
  5. Rafi, A. S. M., & Morgan, A. M. (2024). Translanguaging in instruction and pedagogic design: Promoting learner-centredness in a teacher-centred reading classroom. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 21(4), 447–470. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427587.2024.2425355
  6. Atar, C., & Rafi, A. S. M. (2024). Classroom interaction in an online context: A translanguaging-informed conversation analysis perspective. International Journal of Educational Development, 105, 102970. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2023.102970
  7. Rafi, A. S. M. (2023). The invention of multilingualism (David Gramling) and multilingual perspectives on translanguaging (Jeff MacSwan). Applied Linguistics. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amad052
  8. Rafi, A. S. M. (2023). Creativity, criticality, and translanguaging in assessment design: Perspectives from Bangladeshi higher education. Applied Linguistics Review. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2023-0086
  9. Rafi, A. S. M., & Morgan, A. M. (2022). A pedagogical perspective on the connection between translingual practices and transcultural dispositions in an anthropology classroom in Bangladesh. International Journal of Multilingualism. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2022.2026360
  10. Rafi, A. S. M., & Morgan, A. M. (2022). Linguistic ecology of Bangladeshi higher education: A translanguaging perspective. Teaching in Higher Education, 27(4), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2022.2045579
  11. Rafi, A. S. M., & Morgan, A. M. (2022). Translanguaging as a transformative act in a reading classroom: Perspectives from a Bangladeshi private university. Journal of Language, Identity & Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2021.2004894
  12. Rafi, A. S. M., & Morgan, A. M. (2022). Blending translanguaging and CLIL: Pedagogical benefits and ideological challenges in a Bangladeshi classroom. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/19463014.2022.2046621
  13. Rafi, A. S. M., & Morgan, A. M. (2022). Translanguaging and power in academic writing discourse: The case of a Bangladeshi university. Classroom Discourse. https://doi.org/10.1080/19463014.2022.2046621
  14. Rafi, A. S. M. (2020). Shortcomings of validating translanguaging without pedagogic focus in bilingual classrooms. TESOL Bilingual–Multilingual Education Interest Section. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4539753 
Peer-Reviewed Book Chapters
  1. Rafi, A. S. M., & Rahnuma, N. (forthcoming). Quiet politics, translanguaging, and epistemic justice: Rethinking content learning in Bangladeshi higher education. In T. Dobinson & C. Steele (Eds.), Quiet politics in translingual contexts. Multilingual Matters.
  2. Rafi, A. S. M. (in press). Translanguaging in academic writing instruction. In J. C.-K. Lee (Ed.), Handbook of Asian educational innovation towards the futures of education. Springer.
  3. Rafi, A. S. M., & Tian, Z. (2026). Students’ perspectives on a translanguaging education policy at an English medium university in Bangladesh. In K. A. da Silva & L. Makalela (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of translanguaging in the Global South. Routledge. DOI:10.4324/9781003274186-14
  4. Rafi, A. S. M. (2026). A translanguaging pedagogical design for reading comprehension development and implications for bilingual classrooms. In S. Sultana & P. K. Sah (Eds.), Translingual practices in English language education in South Asia. Multilingual Matters. https://www.jstor.org/stable/jj.32888476.9
  5. Rafi, A. S. M., & Morgan, A. M. (2024). Linguistic ecology of Bangladeshi higher education: A translanguaging perspective. In I. Bhatt et al. (Eds.), Critical perspectives on teaching in the multilingual university. Routledge. https://ln.run/JyHsA (Republished version of 2022 article in Teaching in Higher Education)
  6. Rafi, A. S. M. (2024). Chapter 2 Language weaponization, missed opportunities, and transformational spaces in Bangladeshi English departments: A biographical perspective. In K. Bryan & L. Pentón Herrera (Ed.), The Weaponizing of Language in the Classroom and Beyond (pp. 13-34). Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110799521-002
  7. Rafi, A. S. M. (2023). Students’ uptake of translanguaging pedagogies and translanguaging-oriented assessment in an ELT classroom. In R. Khan et al. (Eds.), Local research and glocal perspectives in English language teaching. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-6458-9_3
  8. Rafi, A. S. M., & Morgan, A. M. (2021). Translanguaging and academic writing in English-only classrooms: Possibilities and challenges. In W. Ordeman (Ed.), Creating a transnational space in the first-year writing classroom (pp. 17–40). Vernon Press.
Edited Volumes & Special Issues
  1. Coombe, C., de Oliveira, L., & Rafi, A. S. M. (Eds.). (2025). Professional learning and development in global language education. Routledge. https://ln.run/McAhg
  2. Tian, Z., & Rafi, A. S. M. (Eds.). (2023). Centering southern perspectives in translanguaging research. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 20(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/15427587.2023.2249151
  3. Elyas, T., Cihat, A., Curley, S., & Rafi, A. S. M. (Eds.). (2023). English medium instruction in the Middle East and North Africa. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1264435
Invited Academic contributions (Selected)

Keynote addresses

  1. Rafi, A. S. M. (2026, February 11–12). Gatekeeping, voice, and power: Rethinking academic writing through translanguaging pedagogies (Keynote address). First Online International Conference on Second Language Writing, University of Tlemcen, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Department of English, in collaboration with FLPATP Research Laboratory.
  2. Rafi, A. S. M. (2024, November 15–17). Centring agency, inclusivity, and empowerment: A translanguaging framework for foreign language education reform (Keynote address). International Conference on Translation and Intercultural Education (Wuhan Forum), China Three Gorges University, Hubei, China.
  3. Rafi, A. S. M. (2024, September 13–15). Transforming assessments for bilingual students: Creativity, criticality, and translanguaging (Keynote address). 11th International Conference on Language and Literacy Education, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
  4. Rafi, A. S. M. (2023, September 4–16). The promises, challenges, and future of translanguaging in higher education in Bangladesh and beyond (Keynote address). 10th International Conference on Language and Literacy Education, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
  5. Rafi, A. S. M. (2021, February 27). Translanguaging approaches to education and research (Keynote address). International Conference on Research in Language Education, International Society of Teachers, Administrators and Researchers, Philippines.

Plenary lectures

  1. Rafi, A. S. M. (2023, December 8). Monolingual university meets multilingual students: Connection, disconnection, and translinguistic fiesta (Plenary lecture). National Symposium: English Connects, Department of English and Humanities, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Invited lectures, seminars & dialogues

  1. Rafi, A. S. M. (2025, November 7 & 14). Reframing linguistic ecologies of international higher education: A translanguaging perspective (Invited lecture). DAAD International Winter School on Inclusive Language Teaching (Hybrid), jointly organised by Nelson Mandela University, University of Groningen, NHL Stenden, and University of Oldenburg. https://uol.de/en/io/summer-winter-schools
  2. Rafi, A. S. M. (2025, September 10). Southernising translanguaging in Bangladeshi language education: Transformative potentials and limits (Invited lecture). LANSPAN Colloquia, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
  3. Rafi, A. S. M. (2025, February 11). Translanguaging in transit: Reflections on positionality, efforts, and ongoing arguments (Invited guest lecture). Graduate course EDSL 628 Plurilingualism and Translanguaging in Education and Research, McGill University, Canada.
  4. Rafi, A. S. M. (2025, January 5). Navigating the PhD journey: Translanguaging research and high-impact publishing (Invited lecture). Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Buriram Rajabhat University, Thailand.
  5. Rafi, A. S. M., & Tian, Z. (2024, October 10). From classroom interventions to teacher education: Experiences and insights from buddying scholars of translanguaging pedagogies (Invited dialogue). Critical and Advanced Studies in Language Group, University of Brasília, Brazil.
  6. Rafi, A. S. M. (2022, November 26). Students’ uptake of translanguaging pedagogies and translanguaging-oriented assessment in an ELT classroom (Invited lecture). East West University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  7. Rafi, A. S. M. (2022, August 15). Blending translanguaging and CLIL: Pedagogical benefits and ideological challenges in an anthropology classroom (Invited seminar). Language and Culture Research Centre, James Cook University, Australia.
  8. Rafi, A. S. M. (2021, April 5). Applying to M.A. and Ph.D. programs in Australia (Invited webinar). Writer’s Block, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  9. Rafi, A. S. M. (2021, April 8). Teaching Bangladeshi students in the 21st century: What translanguaging can offer? (Invited webinar). Department of English, Stamford University, Bangladesh. https://fintechbd.com/webinar-series-held-at-stamford-university-bangladesh/
  10. Rafi, A. S. M. (2021, May 1). Making English studies relevant to Bangladeshi students: Promises from translanguaging classrooms (Invited webinar). Department of English, American International University of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  11. Rafi, A. S. M. (2021, September 7). Beauty secrets and translanguaging pedagogies: A research story (Invited symposium talk). Center for Language Studies, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  12. Rafi, A. S. M. (2020, October 30). Introducing translanguaging as a pedagogical approach in Bangladeshi education (Webinar). Department of English, Bangladesh University of Professionals, Bangladesh.

Invited panels, symposia & discussant roles

  1. Rafi, A. S. M. (2026, May 4–7). Invited panel speaker, Translanguaging in higher education. 3rd International Higher Education Teaching, Learning and Student Support Conference (ITLC 2026), University of South Africa (UNISA), Pretoria, South Africa.
  2. Rafi, A. S. M. (2025, December 21). Invited mentor and discussant. International Postgraduate & Early-Career Researchers in Applied Linguistics Symposium (IPEALS 2025), Malaysian Association of Applied Linguistics (Virtual), Malaysia.
  3. Rafi, A. S. M. (2025, December 12). Invited panel speaker. AI ethics, education, and legal frameworks: Insights into a sustainable future. International Conference on Challenges and Trends in Arts and Social Sciences (ICCTASS 2025), American International University-Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  4. Rafi, A. S. M. (2025, July 31). Panellist. On Ngũgĩ: Language, liberation and the new linguistics world. National Symposium: “La Luta Literária: Ngũgĩ and the Battle for Language and Liberation”, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  5. Rafi, A. S. M. (2025, July 11–13). Panel member. ARC-funded “Starting Young Project”, 25th International AFMLTA Conference, Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations, Australia.
  6. Rafi, A. S. M. (2022, December). Medium of instruction policy implementations, disruptions, and future possibilities in Bangladeshi higher education (Panel presentation). SRHE Conference 2022: Mobilities in Higher Education, Panel organised by I. Bhatt, United Kingdom.
  7. Rafi, A. S. M. (2022, November 18). Invited panel speaker. English language teacher education and sustainable development. 10th BELTA International Conference (Hybrid), in partnership with the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, Bangladesh.

Conference Presentations (Selected)

  1. Rafi, A. S. M. (2023, March 16–19). Translanguaging in writing instruction: What works and what doesn’t? American Association for Applied Linguistics Conference, Portland, OR, United States.
  2. Rafi, A. S. M. (2021, April). Translanguaging for a learner-centred classroom: Perspectives from a Bangladeshi public university. 50th Annual National Association of Bilingual Education Conference, Houston, TX, United States.
  3. Rafi, A. S. M. (2021, March). Translanguaging, power, and learners’ agency in academic writing. American Association of Applied Linguistics Conference.
  4. Rafi, A. S. M. (2020, September). Translanguaging disruptions in the English literature classroom: Perspectives from a Bangladeshi public university. 49th LASSO Virtual Annual Meeting.
  5. Rafi, A. S. M. (2020, March). Translanguaging in the artificial monoculture: Perspectives from a Bangladeshi private university. Georgetown University Roundtable on Languages and Linguistics (GURT 2020), Washington, DC, United States.
  6. Rafi, A. S. M. (2019, January). Translanguaging in monocultural English departments: Possibilities and challenges. UNE Postgraduate Conference: Intersections of Knowledge, University of New England, Australia.
  7. Rafi, A. S. M. (2019, November). The disparity of English in language education policy: Conflicting attitudes among three streams of students in Bangladesh. Applied Linguistics Association of Australia (ALAA) Conference: Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching—Making Connections, Curtin University, Australia.
  8. Rafi, A. S. M. (2019, November). Disrupting the artificial monoculture of English departments through translanguaging pedagogies: Possibilities and challenges. All Around the World: International Perspectives on Research and Practice in Academic Language and Learning, University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, Australia.
Academic Leadership & Service
  • Strand Reviewer, American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) Annual Conference (2026 & 2027).
  • Project Evaluator, Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) Project, University Grants Commission of Bangladesh (2025).
  • Conference Chair, International Conference on The Trans-Phenomenon in Language, Literature, and Culture. University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (2024).
  • Founding President, Bangladeshi Student Association, University of New England, Australia.
Editorial & Peer-Review Service

Editorial Board Member

Educational Research and Evaluation; Journal of Multilingual Education and Literacies; Journal of English Language and Linguistics; Asia Pacific Journal of Educators and Education (2025–2028).

Guest Co-Editor of Special Issues

Critical Inquiry in Language Studies; Frontiers in Psychology.

Manuscript Reviewer

Applied Linguistics; TESOL Journal; Journal of Literacy Research; Foreign Language Annals; International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism; Discourse, Context & Media; Journal of Language, Identity & Education; Classroom Discourse; Languages; System; Qeios.

Professional Memberships
  • American Association for Applied Linguistics
  • Australian Applied Linguistics Association
  • TESOL International Association
  • Society for Research into Higher Education
  • American Educational Research Association
  • National Association for Bilingual Education
  • Linguistic Association of the Southwest
Public Scholarship, Media & Knowledge Exchange
  1. Rafi, A. S. M. (2019). Nurturing the dynamism of multilingual students. The Daily Star.
    https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/perspective/news/nurturing-the-dynamism-multilingual-students-1768045
  2. Rafi, A. S. M. (2019, June 21). The languages of learning. University of New England Blog.
    https://blog.une.edu.au/hasse/2019/06/21/the-languages-of-learning/
  3. Rafi, A. S. M. (n.d.). An exclusive interview with the linguistic maestro Dr. Abu Saleh Mohammad Rafi. Muse Journal.
    (Interview). https://muse.ulab.edu.bd/2023/12/19/beacon-an-exclusive-interview-with-the-linguistic-maestro-dr-abu-saleh-mohammad-rafi
  4. Rafi, A. S. M. (n.d.). Mind your English pronunciation. Media interview.
    https://en.somoynews.tv/news/2022-10-02/mind-your-english-pronunciation
Teaching Experience

Selected Courses: AI, Technology, and Critical Pedagogy

MA Applied Linguistics and TESOL
 Learner Autonomy and Technology (with integrated critical AI studies, including AI-mediated learning, authorship, and ethics in language education)

Undergraduate
 Critical Pedagogy and Technology (with focus on critical AI literacies, power, bias, and sociotechnical dimensions of AI in education)

AI-related supervision
 Supervised 5–7 MA theses on AI in language learning, including AI-mediated writing, learner autonomy in AI-supported environments, and critical uses of AI in multilingual classrooms

Advanced Sociolinguistics; Sociolinguistics; Research Methodologies; Methodologies of Language Teaching; Critical Approaches to Syllabus Design; Literary Theory; Media Studies; English as an Additional Language/Dialect; Education Across Culturally Diverse Contexts.