Josiane Banini

Josiane Banini holds a Ph.D. in French and francophone studies from Florida State University and a double M.A. in secondary education and world languages, literatures, and linguistics from West Virginia University. Her teaching and research focus on world languages education and Francophone literatures and cultures, with a particular emphasis on African writers, gender and diaspora studies, translation studies, and second-language pedagogy. Her interdisciplinary research has led to peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations that both enrich student learning in French language classrooms and critically explore the intersections of language, identity, and gender in postcolonial African narratives. Committed to interdisciplinary curricula, she has developed and taught cross-listed courses that fulfill requirements across general education, liberal arts studies, and French majors—foregrounding the relevance of Francophone studies within broader academic and pedagogical frameworks.

Her current research project has resulted in a series of articles exploring constructions of identity within African literary and cultural frameworks, with a particular emphasis on examining the experiences of African migrants and rethinking the representation, status, and societal roles of African women today.

Banini holds the position of Treasurer for the Francophone Caucus (FRACALA) of the African Literature Association (ALA), contributing to the advancement of Francophone African literary scholarship.

Before joining Smith, she was assistant professor of French and led the French program at Juniata College, where she oversaw curriculum development and departmental duties.

“L’œuvre de Guillaume Oyono-Mbia : Le système de la dot et ses enjeux coutumiers et juridiques à l’optique de la jeune femme camerounaise.ˮ Guillaume Oyono-Mbia: au-delà de la scène, edited by Michele Kenfack and Sandra Mefoude-Obiono, 2025. (forthcoming)

“De l’androgynie à la féminitude : une reconstruction de la représentation socioculturelle de la femme africaine dans l’œuvre romanesque de Calixthe Beyala.ˮ Women in French Studies, vol. 33, 2025. (forthcoming)

“The Flipped Remote Classroom in Colleges and Universities.ˮ French Review, vol. 94, no. 3, 2021, pp. 57-62.

“Ton pied, mon pied… Asso !: L’esthétique de l’hybridité linguistique dans l’écriture romanesque de Léonora Miano.ˮ Journal of the African Literature Association, vol. 15, issue 1, 2021, pp. 48-64.

“L’altérité, l’aliénation et «le désir de vivre ensemble»: L’expérience noire en France.ˮ La France contemporaine: unité et diversités, polarisations et solidarités, edited by Michel Gueldry and Armelle Crouzières-Ingenthron, French Review Book Series, vol. 2, 2020, pp. 167-187.