It is with great sadness that we share the news that Professor Farzad Sharifian has passed away. Farzad was familiar to the ALAA community personally, as President (2014-2016) and as a pioneer in the field of Cultural Linguistics. His loss will be deeply felt. We include below a tribute to Farzad provided by Kate Burridge.

Farzad is considered internationally as the founder of the field of Cultural Linguistics. His publications have had an outstanding impact in the field with significant implications for many discipline areas including English language teaching, World Englishes, and intercultural communication.

International recognition of Farzad’s authority in the field is reflected in, for example, the fact that he was the Founding Editor of the International Journal of Language and Culture (John Benjamins Publishing, Amsterdam/Philadelphia); the Editor of The Routledge Handbook of Language and Culture (Taylor and Francis); the Editor of the book series Cognitive Linguistic Studies in Cultural Contexts(John Benjamins Publishing, Amsterdam/Philadelphia); Series Editor of the Cultural Linguistics book series (Springer); the Series Editor of Routledge Advances in Teaching English as an International Language (New York London).

He has authored / edited eight books and published well over 70 journal articles and chapters. His monograph entitled Cultural Conceptualisations and Language (John Benjamins, 2011) was described by Professor Frank (Iowa University) as a book that “develops an exciting and highly innovative theoretical model that is long overdue” and “a pioneering work in many senses”. His most recent (2017) book Cultural Linguistics, (John Benjamins) was described by Kim Ebensgaard (University of Copenhagen) as “incredibly relevant to any researcher, teacher, or student with an interest in language and culture”. Farzad’s books on Cultural Linguistics have been translated into a number of languages, including Persian, Russian and Vietnamese.

Farzad was the recipient of multiple awards for his research and leadership including: President, Applied Linguistics Association of Australia (ALAA) (2014-2016); Board of Directors, International Association for World Englishes (2013-2015); Supervisor of the Year (Dean’s Award for Excellence in Higher Degree by Research Supervision), Faculty of Arts, Monash University (2013); Humboldt Fellowship for Experienced Researchers, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany (2012); Dean’s Award for Excellence in Early Career Research, Faculty of Arts, Monash University (2008); Award for Excellence in Early Career Research, Faculty of Arts, Monash University (Special Commendation; 2007); Australian Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Australian Research Council (2003); Dean’s Prize for Outstanding Research, Edith Cowan University, and also the Edith Cowan University’s Research Medal (2003).

Finally, Farzad’s contribution to the academic life of HDR students has not just been limited to outstanding quality of supervision. Farzad established the Michael Clyne Prize for Outstanding HDR Research in the area of Language and Society within LCL, by securing funding from several sources. And as a remarkable gesture of generosity and care for HDR students, Farzad set up The Farzad Sharifian Scholarship through a gift to Monash. A piece written for the Monash news and events website captured his dedication to students: 

"Arriving in Australia in 1998 with just $2000 in his pocket – the proceeds of selling his car in Iran – Professor Farzad Sharifian, Director of the Language and Society Centre knows first-hand the trials and tribulations that face our international students. He also understands the life-changing impact that a PhD scholarship can make."