ISEA - Institute for the Study of the Englishes of Africa

Institute of the Study of Englishes of Africa is a research institute.

Founded in 1964, the Institute for the Study of Englishes of Africa (ISEA) has a rich legacy rooted in a shared vision by two prominent scholars: Guy Butler, a poet and dramatist dedicated to English literature, and Len Lanham, a linguist and African language expert. Butler and Lanham’s collaboration established ISEA as a pioneering institution with a mission to advance research, scholarship, and educational resources in the study of English and linguistics within Africa. Initially known as the Institute for the Study of English in Africa, ISEA has since expanded its scope to embrace multilingual education, remaining non-racial and inclusive to the broader Makhanda community (formerly known as Grahamstown).

From its inception, ISEA’s work has played a crucial role in supporting teacher training, organising scholarly conferences, and facilitating connections between South African and international academic communities. Notably, between 1975 and 1994, ISEA led the Molteno Project, a major literacy initiative under Lanham's guidance. This project later became an independent organisation, the Molteno Institute of Language and Literacy. Additionally, Guy Butler founded the National English Literary Museum (NELM) within ISEA, which has grown into the Amazwi South African Museum of Literature, safeguarding the nation’s literary heritage. Another significant ISEA initiative was the lexicographic research led by Bill Bransford, which established the Dictionary Unit for South African English, an enduring resource for specialised and general print dictionaries.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2014, ISEA marked a milestone when Professor MaDeyi'Andile Mbelani, ISEA’s current director, became the first black South African to obtain a doctorate while serving as a researcher at the institute. ISEA has also been a longstanding publisher of influential literary and linguistic journals, including New Coin (a poetry journal since 1965), English in Africa (founded in 1974, analysing the evolving role of English on the continent), and Shakespeare in Southern Africa, which highlights Shakespeare’s role in regional education.

Today the Institute fulfils the aims of its founders in large-scale research and implementation projects in English education, in the publication of journals devoted to English language and literature in Africa and South Africa, and by providing a research base for scholars in the field covered by the Institute.