Dr BAKSHI, Prerna

Biography

Dr Prerna Bakshi is a sociolinguist whose research examines the relationship between language, society, and the state. Bridging the disjointed subfields of sociolinguistics, social psychology, and educational sociology, she investigates: 1) language, identity, and power; 2) beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors; and 3) social institutions, groups, norms, and individual experiences, and how their interaction affects education and its outcomes, especially for those on the margins. To inform her work, she draws on her expertise in qualitative research methods. She has over ten years of experience as a professional interpreter in areas such as legal, healthcare, and community interpreting. She has also been a language teacher at the Canberra Institute of Technology where she trained several senior Australian public servants for overseas postings.

Qualifications

• PhD, University of New England
• Master of Arts by Research (Linguistics), University of Sydney
• Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Linguistics, Monash University
• Paraprofessional Interpreter, National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (Australia)
• Qualified for Assistant Professorship in Linguistics, National Eligibility Test by the University Grants Commission of India
   

Selected Publications

Journal Publications

• Bakshi, P. (2020). ‘It is a dialect, not a language!’- Investigating teachers’ beliefs about Mewati. L1-Educational Studies in Language and Literature, 20, 1-24.
• Bakshi, P. (2016). Book Review of Neoliberalism and Applied Linguistics. Journal of Language, Identity and Education, 15(5).
• Bakshi, P. (2013). Linguistic Duopoly: A Case of Mewati. Language in India, 12(5).

Research Grants

• Research Training Program Scholarship funded by the Australian government (2016-2019) [A$84,000]
• The Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research (DVCR) Scholarship (2019) [A$6,000]

Paper Presentations at Conferences

• Bakshi, P. (2012, March). Politics of Mewati in Postcolonial India: A Case of the Meo Tribe. Humanism, Democracy and Culture: Postcolonial Discourse and India, Kurukshetra, India
• Bakshi, P. (2017, November). Dialect-in-Education: A Case of Mewati from India. Ciencia Politica Enfoque Sur, Havana, Cuba