Dr Dorcas Zuvalinyenga
Casual ELICOS Teacher
Learning and Teaching
Career Summary
Biography
Dr Dorcas Zuvalinyenga is an applied sociolinguist with over 14 years of teaching, research and community engagement in higher and tertiary institutions. Her research is an interdisciplinary study in linguistic landscapes and critical toponymy focusing on identity, power and communication.
She received her Bachelor of Arts Honours in English and Master of Arts in English from the University of Zimbabwe. She tutored at the same university for a couple of years before moving to Bindura where she lectures in the Department of Languages and Communication at the Bindura University of Science Education. Her research interests include linguistic landscapes, language and gender, critical discourse analysis, socio-onomastics, toponymy, English as a Second Language (ESL), language and identity, literary and cultural studies and intercultural communication. She is a member of the Applied Linguistics Association of Australia, International Council of Onomastic Sciences (ICOS), English Academy (Southern Africa), Names Society of Southern Africa (NSSA), Australasian Humour Studies Network, The Global Council on Anthropological Linguistics, and Student Leader at the Centre for Africa Research, Engagement and Partnership (CARE-P) at the University of Newcastle.
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics, University of Newcastle
Keywords
- Communication Skills
- Cultural Studies
- Discourse analysis
- ESL
- Gender
- Higher education
- Linguistic Landscape Studies
- Literature
- Onomastics
- Teaching and Learning
- Toponymy
Languages
- Nyanja (Chichewa) (Fluent)
- English (Fluent)
- Shona (Mother)
- Spanish (Working)
- Ndebele (Working)
Fields of Research
| Code | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 470507 | Comparative and transnational literature | 33 |
| 470208 | Culture, representation and identity | 34 |
| 470411 | Sociolinguistics | 33 |
Professional Experience
Academic appointment
| Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|---|
| 1/3/2011 - 30/8/2017 |
Lecturer Full-time lecturer in Languages and Communication Skills |
Bindura University of Science Education Zimbabwe |
| 1/9/2006 - 30/9/2008 |
Graduate Teaching Assistant Graduate Teaching Assistant responsible for tutoring undergraduate courses. |
University of Zimbabwe English Department Zimbabwe |
Professional appointment
| Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|---|
| 9/6/2021 - |
Publications Assessment Assistant Review, assess and assign Field of Research codes to publications. |
Research and Innovation Services, The University of Newcastle Research and Innovation Division Australia |
Awards
Award
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2017 |
2017 UNRS Central Scholarship Graduate Research, University of Newcastle |
| 2017 |
University of Newcastle International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (UNIPRS) 2017 International Tuition Fees Scholarship Graduate Research, University of Newcastle |
Manuscript Reviews
| Year | Title | Publication Type | Publisher | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | The naming system for boy and girl initiates in Lesotho: A comparative analysis | Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal (HERDC) | Nomina Africana Journal of African Onomastics | Substantive review |
| 2020 | The Language Factor and Internet Penetration in Nigeria: A Practical Assessment | Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal (HERDC) | Contemporary Journal of African Studies | Substantive review |
| 2019 | The air belongs to the people: A Critical Analysis of Radio broadcasting and licensing in Zimbabwe | Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal (HERDC) | Routledge Taylor & Francis Group | Reviewed article on media situation in Zimbabwe. |
Publications
For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.
Book (2 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Zuvalinyenga D, Basic Communication Skills Module., Bindura University of Science Education, Bindura (2012) | ||
| 2011 | Zuvalinyenga D, Gendered and Racial Resistance in Selected Works, LAP Lambert Academic Publishing, 120 (2011) |
Chapter (2 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Zuvalinyenga D, 'Rituals of revolution? Place renaming and the crisis of transition in Zimbabwe', The Zimbabwean Crisis after Mugabe. Multidisciplinary perspectives, Routledge, New York (2021) | |||||||
| 2021 |
Zuvalinyenga D, 'Rituals of revolution?', The Zimbabwean Crisis after Mugabe, Routledge 98-115 (2021)
|
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Journal article (13 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 |
Zuvalinyenga D, Bigon L, 'Gender-biased Street Naming in Urban Sub-Saharan Africa: Influential Factors, Features and Future Recommendations', JOURNAL OF ASIAN AND AFRICAN STUDIES, 56 589-609 (2021) [C1]
|
Nova | |||||||||
| 2021 |
Bigon L, Zuvalinyenga D, 'Urban Pulse - Gendered urban toponyms in the global South: a time for de-colonization?', Urban Geography, 42 226-239 (2021) [C1] This short commentary scrutinizes the contemporary toponymic phenomenon of gendered street naming in the global South with an emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa¿s cities. It reveals t... [more] This short commentary scrutinizes the contemporary toponymic phenomenon of gendered street naming in the global South with an emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa¿s cities. It reveals the problematic prevalence of masculine street names in comparison to feminine names in the region¿s urban spatialities and provides a comparative glimpse into similar realities in the global North. The paper offers explanations for this phenomenon as a consequence of the (post-)colonial experiences of many Southern cities and reports on the socio-political implications of this problem. Our recommendation on a toponymic de-colonization in terms of gender is part of a broader aspiration for more just and inclusionary urban management policies, better accommodated to the challenging realities of urban life in Southern cities.
|
Nova | |||||||||
| 2020 |
Zuvalinyenga D, ' We shall know a place by its names : Co-existing place names in Bindura, Zimbabwe', EchoGéo, 53 1-18 (2020) [C1]
|
Nova | |||||||||
| Show 10 more journal articles | |||||||||||
Conference (9 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Zuvalinyenga D, 'Multiple place naming, identity and belonging in a multilingual linguistic landscape', University of the Free State (2021) | ||
| 2021 | Zuvalinyenga D, 'The politics of unofficial place naming', Sydney, Australia (2021) | ||
| 2021 | Zuvalinyenga D, 'The political aesthetics of unofficial place naming', University of Gothenburg (2021) | ||
| Show 6 more conferences | |||
Other (1 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Zuvalinyenga D, Muvindi I, 'Communication Skills Module', (2012) |
Presentation (1 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Zuvalinyenga D, Donnir G, 'Solidarity in diversity is a Mirage.', (2021) |
Thesis / Dissertation (1 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Zuvalinyenga D, Naming practices, identity, power and communication in Bindura, Zimbabwe, University of Newcastle (2021) |
Grants and Funding
Summary
| Number of grants | 3 |
|---|---|
| Total funding | $14,266 |
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
20201 grants / $500
Conference Travel Grant$500
Funding body: African Studies Group - University of Melbourne
| Funding body | African Studies Group - University of Melbourne |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Dorcas Zuvalinyenga |
| Scheme | Conference Travel Grant |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2020 |
| Funding Finish | 2020 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Not Known |
| Category | UNKN |
| UON | N |
20151 grants / $6,883
The Korekore Placenames Research Project$6,883
The project was aimed at collecting and documenting Korekore place names in the Mashonaland Central province of Zimbabwe. We planned to extract the names from maps and then interview people and leadership from the respective areas in order to get these names’ significance. We sought to then create an electronic data base from which information to write the respective four journal papers will be extracted.
The objective of the study included:
- To collect and document Korekore place names in Mashonaland Central.
- To describe and analyze the cultural significance of the names as part of Zimbabwe’s heritage
- To use this study as a pilot for a wider national place names project. The experience gained ought to be used for further research and documentation of names in the country.
On the expected output, the goal was to produce information that can add to the encyclopedia and also to publish papers in accredited journals. It was also agreed that one of the papers should be an annotated bibliography of the Korekore place names research
Funding body: Research and Postgraduate Centre - Bindura University of Science Education
| Funding body | Research and Postgraduate Centre - Bindura University of Science Education |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Professor Charles Pfukwa, Ms Dorcas Zuvalinyenga, Mr Charles Massimo, Mr Francis Maushe, Ms Petros |
| Scheme | Research Scheme |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2015 |
| Funding Finish | 2016 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | International - Competitive |
| Category | 3IFA |
| UON | N |
20131 grants / $6,883
Attrition of Pre-service student science teachers under the Virtual, Open and Distance Learning (VODL) mode at Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE) in Zimbabwe$6,883
Student science teacher attrition under VODL has been a critical concern in the field of education for many years. Student teacher attrition is another term used for student teacher turnover, which are changes in student teachers’ status from Semester to Semester. Student Teacher turnover may include Student teachers leaving the course, or Student teachers leaving the university. This study sought to find out the major reasons for student teachers’ attrition under the VODL mode of delivery at BUSE through a survey gathering the perspectives of the students who have dropped out of this mode of teaching and learning. The collected data was analysed through the IBM SPSS v. 19. Situational factors were indicated in this study as the major reasons for student attrition under VODL. There was no correlation between the cited reasons for attrition to gender, age or program of study. It was recommended that any intervention mechanisms should put lecturers in the forefront as they are perceived by the former students as the most significant others.
Funding body: Research and Postgraduate Centre - Bindura University of Science Education
| Funding body | Research and Postgraduate Centre - Bindura University of Science Education |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Daimond Dziva, Lovemore Kusure, Crispen Bhukuvhani, Misheck Mhishi, Israel Muvindi, Dorcas Zuvalinyenga, Kisswell Basira, Isel R. Berdut |
| Scheme | Research and Postgraduate Centre |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2013 |
| Funding Finish | 2014 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | International - Competitive |
| Category | 3IFA |
| UON | N |
Research Collaborations
The map is a representation of a researchers co-authorship with collaborators across the globe. The map displays the number of publications against a country, where there is at least one co-author based in that country. Data is sourced from the University of Newcastle research publication management system (NURO) and may not fully represent the authors complete body of work.
| Country | Count of Publications | |
|---|---|---|
| Zimbabwe | 7 | |
| Australia | 3 | |
| Israel | 2 |
Dr Dorcas Zuvalinyenga
Positions
Casual ELICOS Teacher
Learning and Teaching
Academic Division
Casual Administrative Assistant
School of Architecture and Built Environment
College of Engineering, Science and Environment
Contact Details
| dorcas.zuvalinyenga@newcastle.edu.au |
