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I am an Indigenous scholar from South America and a native speaker of Huanca Quechua, an endangered variety spoken in the central highlands of Peru. My life and work are deeply informed by my cultural and linguistic roots, which ground my scholarship, teaching, and activism. I earned my Ph.D. in ºÚÂí´ÅÁ¦al Linguistics/Sociolinguistics at the University of Pennsylvania, where I specialized in the study of language, power, and identity in multilingual and multicultural contexts. Before that, I received my M.A. in Hispanic Linguistics from The Ohio State University, an experience that provided me with a strong foundation in linguistic theory, sociolinguistics, and applied linguistics. These formative academic journeys allowed me to combine rigorous linguistic analysis with a deep commitment to Indigenous knowledge systems and social justice. Over the years, I have taken on multiple roles as a sociolinguist, educational linguist, ethnographer, lexicographer, editor, translator, and activist, each of which reflects my dedication to advancing linguistic heterogeneity, and the revitalization of endangered languages.

Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to deliver lectures, keynote addresses, and research presentations at numerous international conferences and universities across the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. These experiences have allowed me to share my work with diverse academic and non-academic communities while engaging in global conversations on Indigenous languages, multilingual education, and sociolinguistics. From 2019 to 2021, I was honored to serve as an Indiana University Bicentennial Professor. I currently hold the position of Professor of Literacy, Culture, and Language ºÚÂí´ÅÁ¦ and Core Faculty in the International Comparative ºÚÂí´ÅÁ¦ Program within the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the School of ºÚÂí´ÅÁ¦, Indiana University Bloomington. In addition, I served as Director of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies from 2023 to 2025, where I worked to strengthen interdisciplinary research and teaching in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and to amplify Indigenous voices and perspectives in academic and public discourse.

My institutional service also extends broadly across Indiana University. I am Head Coordinator of the Global Indigenous Studies Network and a Core Faculty member of the Minority Languages and Cultures Project at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. I also hold adjunct appointments in Anthropology, Spanish and Portuguese, American Studies, and the Latino Studies Program. Furthermore, I serve as Supporting Faculty in the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program and as a Research Associate and Advisory Board Member in both the Institute for Indigenous Knowledge and the Center for the Documentation and Revitalization of Indigenous Languages. I am also affiliated with the Center for the Study of Global Change and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. These diverse appointments reflect my commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, as well as my belief that Indigenous scholarship must engage across disciplines, institutions, and communities.

My research and scholarship adopt an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach, exploring the complex intersections of language, culture, ideology, power, politics, policy, and identity. While my primary geographic focus is on the Andes of South America, my scholarship also engages broader contexts in the Americas, Africa and Asia, particularly China and Taiwan. My work contributes to a wide range of fields, including educational linguistics, sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, Indigenous Studies, Latin American Studies, and literacy studies.

At the heart of my scholarship are five interrelated strands. First, my work in sociolinguistics explores the dynamics of Indigenous and minoritized languages in their social contexts, particularly focusing on issues of language contact, shift, and maintenance. I am especially interested in how linguistic hierarchies are constructed and contested in multilingual societies. Second, my work in language policy and planning examines how state and institutional policies shape linguistic diversity, access, and rights, both at the national level and within transnational contexts. For example, I have analyzed the tensions between official language policies in Latin America and grassroots Indigenous language movements. Third, I am deeply committed to language revitalization, both as a scholar and as an activist. I study strategies and initiatives for sustaining and strengthening endangered languages, often working in collaboration with communities. Fourth, my work on global indigeneity examines Indigenous movements, epistemologies, and practices in the context of globalization, with attention to how Indigenous peoples articulate their identities and knowledge across national and regional boundaries. Finally, my research on translingual literacies explores the ways in which multilingual and multimodal practices shape learning, identity, and participation in diverse educational, social, and political contexts. Together, these strands highlight the central role of language in shaping identities, constructing knowledge, and driving social change.

My publications reflect these areas of inquiry and include studies on the sociolinguistics of Indigenous languages, the politics of language revitalization, Quechua lexicography, and bilingual and multilingual education. My work has also addressed language policy and planning in the Americas, China, and Taiwan, as well as ethnographies of linguistic landscapes in transnational contexts. I have written papers on translingual literacies and transformative education, with a focus on the lived experiences and narratives of Indigenous speakers. Collectively, these publications contribute to broader discussions on linguistic heterogeneity, and the transformative power of language.

My scholarship has appeared in major international journals and edited volumes published by Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Routledge, Multilingual Matters, Wiley-Blackwell, Springer, SAGE, UNESCO, and others. I have also edited/co-edited several influential special issues, including New Frameworks for Language Revitalization in the 21st Century: Case Studies from the Americas and Europe (2021, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development), Politics of Language (2017, Chiricú Journal), Indigenous Language Regimes in the Americas (2017, International Journal of the Sociology of Language), Translingual Literacies (2017, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development), and Language Contact and Universal Grammar in the Andes (2012, Lingua). My books include New Immigrants and Multilingual Linguistic Landscape in Taiwan (with Ching-Yu Na, 2025, Multilingual Matters), The Role of Transformative ºÚÂí´ÅÁ¦ for Sustainable Social and Economic Development of Africa (with Michael T. Ndemanu, Tom J. McConnell, Ernest Kofi Davis, and Judah M. Ndiku, 2025, Cambridge Scholars Publishing), the best-selling Quechua Phrasebook & Dictionary (5th ed., 2019, Lonely Planet), Indigenous Language Revitalization in the Americas (with Teresa McCarty, 2016, Routledge), and Language Ideology, Policy and Planning in Peru (2015, Multilingual Matters).

Beyond my research and writing, I have played an active leadership role in advancing academic and activist work on Indigenous and minoritized languages worldwide. I am a Founding Member of the Global Institute for Transformative ºÚÂí´ÅÁ¦ (GITE), created with colleagues Michael Ndemanu and Daniel Baron, which promotes transformative approaches to education across the globe. I also serve as Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Literacy, Culture, and Language ºÚÂí´ÅÁ¦ (IJLCLE), and as Co-Editor-in-Chief, with Michael T. Ndemanu, of the Global Journal of Transformative ºÚÂí´ÅÁ¦ (GJTE). Additionally, I am a Co-Editor of the book series Language, ºÚÂí´ÅÁ¦, and Diversity with Stephen May, Teresa McCarty, and Constant Leung, published by Multilingual Matters in the UK.

Through these academic, editorial, and leadership roles, I strive to promote research, dialogue, and collaboration that elevate the voices of Indigenous peoples and minoritized language communities worldwide. My work seeks not only to analyze sociolinguistic phenomena, but also to create spaces where Indigenous knowledge systems, practices, and experiences can be recognized as central to understanding language, education, and society in the twenty-first century.

Selected Publications (Special Issue Volumes in Journals)

Comajoan-Colomé, L., & Coronel-Molina, S. M. (Guest Eds.). (2021). , Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 42 (10).

Coronel-Molina, S. M. (Issue Ed.). (2017). , Chiricú Journal: Latina/o Literatures, Arts, and Cultures, 1(2).

Coronel-Molina, S. M. (Issue Ed.). (2017). , International Journal of the Sociology of Language (IJSL), 246.

Coronel-Molina, S. M., & Samuelson, B. L. (Guest Eds.). (2017). , Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 38(5).

Coronel-Molina, S. M. (2014). Monograph. Definitions and critical literature review of language attitude, choice and shift: Samples of language attitude surveys. Journal of Second and Multiple Language Acquisition (JSMULA), 2 (2).

Coronel-Molina, S. M., & Rodríguez-Mondoñedo, M. (Guest Eds.). (2012). , Lingua, 122 (5).