Sara Hillman
Biographic Data
| ID | 669314 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sara Hillman |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sara |
| FAMILY NAME | Hillman |
| SIGNATURE | HILLMAN S |
| AFFILIATIONS | Texas A&M University at Qatar |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0738-5030 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 30 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 18 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Eco-heritage literacies and the sociolinguistics of Islam in Qatar’s Qur’anic Botanic Garden
This study extends emerging work on a sociolinguistics of Islam (Bhatt, Barnawi, and Ahmad 2025) by examining how meaning-making is shaped through the design of the Qur’anic Botanic Garden in Doha, Qatar. Using walking ethnography and linguistic landscape analysis, the study analyzes how the Garden aligns ummatic forms of Islamic authority grounded in Qur’anic and Prophetic traditions with ʿurfic forms of locally embedded ecological practice. The…
Visualising identities and values in the educationscape of a U.S. international branch campus
Panda diplomacy’ and the subtle rise of a Chinese language ecology in Qatar
Over the past two decades, the Chinese language has emerged as a global language. Gulf Cooperation Council countries, such as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, have integrated Chinese language into their educational systems and established Confucius Institutes to promote Chinese language and culture. In Qatar, interest in Chinese language education has risen, though not as pronounced as its neighbouring countries. This article,…
Teaching English in an engineering international branch campus
While a number of studies have documented the significant role of emotions and the emotion labor produced in English language teaching, research exploring English instructors’ emotion labor in transnational higher education contexts such as international branch campuses (IBCs) and within Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programs is lacking. Arguably, these neoliberally-driven and educational neocolonialist endeavors can produce i…
The role of stigma on the pregnancy experiences of women with disabilities in Kathmandu
Stigma impacts women with disabilities during their pregnancy experiences, specifically through its components; societal beliefs, stereotypes, and attitudes. Through an interpretivist approach, this study addressed how stigma’s components impact the pregnancy experiences of women with disabilities in Kathmandu, especially considering recent policy changes on Nepali disability healthcare. Twelve semi-structured interviews [SSIs] with women with ph…
Effects of UK hostile environment policies on maternity care for refugees, asylum seekers, and undocumented migrants in Camden
In the face of an intensifying hostile environment under the UK government, supporting RASUs cannot be solely reliant on political measures. We need to advocate for healthcare navigator roles, health justice partnerships, specialist teams, and comprehensive training for service providers. HCPs and COs should be adequately supported in their endeavours to ensure RASUs have access to standardised, high-quality maternity care
Forum on “The emotional landscape of English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education”
The studies presented in this special issue on the emotional landscape of English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education settings offer valuable insights into the variety of emotions that get entangled in policies, discourses, and practices in local EMI contexts, and the emotional effects of EMI on various stakeholders, such as students, teachers, and administrators. It is also important to contemplate 1) how the research findings can be ap…
The emotional landscape of English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education
This editorial piece is the introduction to our special issue on the emotional landscape of English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education. In this piece, we argue for a greater focus on examining the emotional environment of EMI in higher education—the variety of emotions that get entangled in policies, discourses, and practices in local EMI contexts, and the emotional effects of EMI on various stakeholders, such as students, teachers, and…
Contextual factors affecting the implementation of an anemia focused virtual counseling intervention for pregnant women in plains Nepal
It is important to understand gender norms, mobile access, and mobile literacy before implementing an mHealth intervention. The contextual barriers to implementation meant that we were not able to engage family members as much as we had hoped, and we were not able to minimize in-person contact with families. We recommend a flexible approach to mHealth interventions which can be responsive to local context and the situation of participants. Home v…
EMI and the international branch campus
Transnational higher education (TNHE), often based on export models of Western-based universities and driven by neoliberal market economy agendas, has spread across the globe. One example of TNHE is Qatar’s Education City where six prestigious American international branch campuses (IBCs) all administer their degrees through English medium instruction (EMI). While there is a burgeoning amount of research investigating and problematizing issues in…
Addressing anaemia in pregnancy in rural plains Nepal
Maternal anaemia prevalence in low-income countries is unacceptably high. Our research explored the individual-, family- and community-level factors affecting antenatal care uptake, iron folic acid (IFA) intake and consumption of micronutrient-rich diets among pregnant women in the plains of Nepal. We discuss how these findings informed the development of a home visit and community mobilisation intervention to reduce anaemia in pregnancy. We used…
A scoping review of world Englishes in the Middle East and North Africa
This study presents the first scoping review (Arksey & O'Malley, 2005; Levac, Colquhoun, & O'Brien, 2010) of world Englishes (WE) research in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) – providing a knowledge synthesis of studies related to the sociolinguistic dynamics and realities of English(es) in one of the most underexplored WE contexts. Although the burgeoning research on English in the region focuses on macro sociolinguistic issues, language …
From English as the medium to English as a medium
Laboring to communicate
This study examines the communication strategies employed by Qatar’s government in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The study contributes to a growing body of work on the sociolinguistics of crisis communication. We focus on the use of South and Southeast Asian languages, spoken largely by blue-collar migrant workers, which are often seen as peripheral even though they are spoken by a large segment of the population. The deployment of these la…
Linguistically Responsive Instruction in International Branch Campuses
This study proposes employing linguistically responsive instruction (LRI) in transnational higher education such as international branch campuses (IBCs). It sheds light on the beliefs and practices of content instructors teaching in English‐medium IBCs, in terms of supporting students’ academic language development. Previous studies have shown how content instructors, particularly in STEM fields, do not see teaching language as part of their role…
“I’m a Heritage Speaker of the Damascene Dialect of Arabic”
Utilizing an ecological perspective of heritage language learner (HLL) identity (Hornberger & Wang, 2008), this study investigates how an underexamined group within HLL studies—language learners with diverse ties to the Arabic language—perceive the label of HLL and how they position themselves and their classmates relative to this label during interviews and in an advanced Arabic language classroom. I draw on interview, observational, and videota…
It will be funny [to speak Hindi]
Travelling' Englishes and neo-liberal ideologies and policies to Qatar have implications for perceptions towards languages other than English, in particular Qatar's migrant languages. The current spotlight on the West and English in Qatar, often viewed in juxtaposition to Arabic, and in competition with it, has led to other languages that play an important role in the society and are part of the linguistic ecology of the region, being ignored. Wh…
English, super-diversity, and identity in the State of Qatar
This article provides a contemporary profile of English, or Englishes thereof, in the State of Qatar, a tiny country undergoing tremendous socio-cultural transformations. The historical background section contextualizes Qatar's contemporary linguistic 'super-diversity' as a continuity of mobility, integration, and exchange with various communities within and beyond the shores of the Arab/Persian Gulf for centuries. We describe Qatar's present-day…
Laboring to communicate
This study examines the communication strategies employed by Qatar’s government in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The study contributes to a growing body of work on the sociolinguistics of crisis communication. We focus on the use of South and Southeast Asian languages, spoken largely by blue-collar migrant workers, which are often seen as peripheral even though they are spoken by a large segment of the population. The deployment of these la…
From English as the medium to English as a medium
English, super-diversity, and identity in the State of Qatar
This article provides a contemporary profile of English, or Englishes thereof, in the State of Qatar, a tiny country undergoing tremendous socio-cultural transformations. The historical background section contextualizes Qatar's contemporary linguistic 'super-diversity' as a continuity of mobility, integration, and exchange with various communities within and beyond the shores of the Arab/Persian Gulf for centuries. We describe Qatar's present-day…
It will be funny [to speak Hindi]
Travelling' Englishes and neo-liberal ideologies and policies to Qatar have implications for perceptions towards languages other than English, in particular Qatar's migrant languages. The current spotlight on the West and English in Qatar, often viewed in juxtaposition to Arabic, and in competition with it, has led to other languages that play an important role in the society and are part of the linguistic ecology of the region, being ignored. Wh…
English, super-diversity, and identity in the State of Qatar
This article provides a contemporary profile of English, or Englishes thereof, in the State of Qatar, a tiny country undergoing tremendous socio-cultural transformations. The historical background section contextualizes Qatar's contemporary linguistic 'super-diversity' as a continuity of mobility, integration, and exchange with various communities within and beyond the shores of the Arab/Persian Gulf for centuries. We describe Qatar's present-day…
“I’m a Heritage Speaker of the Damascene Dialect of Arabic”
Utilizing an ecological perspective of heritage language learner (HLL) identity (Hornberger & Wang, 2008), this study investigates how an underexamined group within HLL studies—language learners with diverse ties to the Arabic language—perceive the label of HLL and how they position themselves and their classmates relative to this label during interviews and in an advanced Arabic language classroom. I draw on interview, observational, and videota…
It will be funny [to speak Hindi]
Travelling' Englishes and neo-liberal ideologies and policies to Qatar have implications for perceptions towards languages other than English, in particular Qatar's migrant languages. The current spotlight on the West and English in Qatar, often viewed in juxtaposition to Arabic, and in competition with it, has led to other languages that play an important role in the society and are part of the linguistic ecology of the region, being ignored. Wh…
EMI and the international branch campus
Transnational higher education (TNHE), often based on export models of Western-based universities and driven by neoliberal market economy agendas, has spread across the globe. One example of TNHE is Qatar’s Education City where six prestigious American international branch campuses (IBCs) all administer their degrees through English medium instruction (EMI). While there is a burgeoning amount of research investigating and problematizing issues in…
Addressing anaemia in pregnancy in rural plains Nepal
Maternal anaemia prevalence in low-income countries is unacceptably high. Our research explored the individual-, family- and community-level factors affecting antenatal care uptake, iron folic acid (IFA) intake and consumption of micronutrient-rich diets among pregnant women in the plains of Nepal. We discuss how these findings informed the development of a home visit and community mobilisation intervention to reduce anaemia in pregnancy. We used…
A scoping review of world Englishes in the Middle East and North Africa
This study presents the first scoping review (Arksey & O'Malley, 2005; Levac, Colquhoun, & O'Brien, 2010) of world Englishes (WE) research in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) – providing a knowledge synthesis of studies related to the sociolinguistic dynamics and realities of English(es) in one of the most underexplored WE contexts. Although the burgeoning research on English in the region focuses on macro sociolinguistic issues, language …
From English as the medium to English as a medium
Laboring to communicate
This study examines the communication strategies employed by Qatar’s government in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The study contributes to a growing body of work on the sociolinguistics of crisis communication. We focus on the use of South and Southeast Asian languages, spoken largely by blue-collar migrant workers, which are often seen as peripheral even though they are spoken by a large segment of the population. The deployment of these la…
Linguistically Responsive Instruction in International Branch Campuses
This study proposes employing linguistically responsive instruction (LRI) in transnational higher education such as international branch campuses (IBCs). It sheds light on the beliefs and practices of content instructors teaching in English‐medium IBCs, in terms of supporting students’ academic language development. Previous studies have shown how content instructors, particularly in STEM fields, do not see teaching language as part of their role…
Forum on “The emotional landscape of English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education”
The studies presented in this special issue on the emotional landscape of English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education settings offer valuable insights into the variety of emotions that get entangled in policies, discourses, and practices in local EMI contexts, and the emotional effects of EMI on various stakeholders, such as students, teachers, and administrators. It is also important to contemplate 1) how the research findings can be ap…
The emotional landscape of English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education
This editorial piece is the introduction to our special issue on the emotional landscape of English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education. In this piece, we argue for a greater focus on examining the emotional environment of EMI in higher education—the variety of emotions that get entangled in policies, discourses, and practices in local EMI contexts, and the emotional effects of EMI on various stakeholders, such as students, teachers, and…
Contextual factors affecting the implementation of an anemia focused virtual counseling intervention for pregnant women in plains Nepal
It is important to understand gender norms, mobile access, and mobile literacy before implementing an mHealth intervention. The contextual barriers to implementation meant that we were not able to engage family members as much as we had hoped, and we were not able to minimize in-person contact with families. We recommend a flexible approach to mHealth interventions which can be responsive to local context and the situation of participants. Home v…
Teaching English in an engineering international branch campus
While a number of studies have documented the significant role of emotions and the emotion labor produced in English language teaching, research exploring English instructors’ emotion labor in transnational higher education contexts such as international branch campuses (IBCs) and within Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programs is lacking. Arguably, these neoliberally-driven and educational neocolonialist endeavors can produce i…
The role of stigma on the pregnancy experiences of women with disabilities in Kathmandu
Stigma impacts women with disabilities during their pregnancy experiences, specifically through its components; societal beliefs, stereotypes, and attitudes. Through an interpretivist approach, this study addressed how stigma’s components impact the pregnancy experiences of women with disabilities in Kathmandu, especially considering recent policy changes on Nepali disability healthcare. Twelve semi-structured interviews [SSIs] with women with ph…
Effects of UK hostile environment policies on maternity care for refugees, asylum seekers, and undocumented migrants in Camden
In the face of an intensifying hostile environment under the UK government, supporting RASUs cannot be solely reliant on political measures. We need to advocate for healthcare navigator roles, health justice partnerships, specialist teams, and comprehensive training for service providers. HCPs and COs should be adequately supported in their endeavours to ensure RASUs have access to standardised, high-quality maternity care
Visualising identities and values in the educationscape of a U.S. international branch campus
Panda diplomacy’ and the subtle rise of a Chinese language ecology in Qatar
Over the past two decades, the Chinese language has emerged as a global language. Gulf Cooperation Council countries, such as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, have integrated Chinese language into their educational systems and established Confucius Institutes to promote Chinese language and culture. In Qatar, interest in Chinese language education has risen, though not as pronounced as its neighbouring countries. This article,…
Eco-heritage literacies and the sociolinguistics of Islam in Qatar’s Qur’anic Botanic Garden
This study extends emerging work on a sociolinguistics of Islam (Bhatt, Barnawi, and Ahmad 2025) by examining how meaning-making is shaped through the design of the Qur’anic Botanic Garden in Doha, Qatar. Using walking ethnography and linguistic landscape analysis, the study analyzes how the Garden aligns ummatic forms of Islamic authority grounded in Qur’anic and Prophetic traditions with ʿurfic forms of locally embedded ecological practice. The…
Sociology (14 works) · Political science (9 works) · Linguistics (8 works) · Multilingual Education and Policy (7 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Second Language Learning and Teaching (7 works) · Pedagogy (6 works) · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning (5 works) · EMI (4 works) · Medicine (4 works)