Visiting Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics, College of Liberal Arts, Jennifer Sclafani presented her research Mothe(r) Mayo(r): Framing identity and local belonging in Boston’s mayoral campaigns at the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) 2023 Conference in Sociolinguistics (SOC)
and Analysis of Discourse and Interaction (DIS) strands in Portland Oregon. Her research investigates the discursive construction of the political identity of Annissa Essaibi George and Michelle Wu in the 2021 Boston mayoral election. Dr. Sclafani’s analysis reveals that both women of color and mothers employ their roles as working mothers and their professional trajectories in their campaigns to connect with people.