Kendra Calhoun, Ph.D. (she/her)
Assistant Professor of Linguistic Anthropology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
I’m a linguistic anthropologist and qualitative sociolinguist who critically analyzes the intersections of language, identity, and power in face-to-face and mediated contexts. I examine race, gender, humor, social media discourse, and institutional discourses in higher education with a focus on the language, culture, and experiences of Black Americans. As an interdisciplinary scholar, my work spans linguistics, anthropology, communication studies, media studies, science & technology studies, ethnic studies, gender & feminist studies, and performance studies. I’m passionate about teaching, mentorship, and equity in higher education, and I’ve integrated these into my research throughout my academic career.
My current research project is an exploration of language, identity, and sociality on “Black TikTok,” examining how ideologies and experiences of Blackness intersect with digital technology to shape performances of Blackness within this digital community.
Recent news and highlights
I have been named an assistant editor for the the Journal of Black Language and Culture (JBLAC), a new interdisciplinary journal from the Linguistic Society of American & Cambridge University Press. The journal is open for submissions and the first issue will appear in 2027. More information can be found on the LSA website and JBLAC’s Cambridge page.
My most recent article, “’This is so Vine coded’: Genre, nostalgia, and strategies of multimodal intertextuality on TikTok” is available open access in Internet Pragmatics
Lifting as We Climb: How Black Faculty Make Professional and Linguistic Choices to Thrive in Higher Education (co-authored with Aris Clemons, Joy Peltier, Kahdeidra Martin, and Anne Charity Hudley) will be published with Teacher’s College Press in May 2026.
Upcoming talks
Stay tuned for talks in Fall 2026!
Recent talks
“Multimodality and digital affordances in representations of Blackness on TikTok.” Society for Cinema & Media Studies, March 2026
“Innovation, interdisciplinarity, and practicality: The case for digital linguistics as a subfield.” Georgetown University Roundtable on Linguistics, March 2026
“ ‘Say___, but Black’: African American English memes on Black TikTok.” Linguistic Society of America, January 2026
“Linguistic diversity and ideologies of ‘Black language’ on TikTok: Black discursive practice, digital representation, and raciolinguistic ideologies.” Linguistics Seminar Series, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, December 2025
Kendra Calhoun, Ph.D. 