Two esteemed colleagues from the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Pretoria (UP), Profs John Sharp and Wim Viljoen, will be retiring from service at the end of 2015.

Prof Sharp, who holds a BA (Hons) degree from the University of Cape Town (UCT) and a PhD from the University of Cambridge, is an emeritus professor of Social Anthropology and a senior research fellow in the Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship. He is also the South African Director of the Human Economy Research Programme at UP.

His recent publications include:

Sharp, J. and Van Wyk, S. 2015. Beyond the market: the case of white workers in Pretoria. In: Hart, K. (ed.) Economy for and against democracy. Oxford & New York: Berghahn.

Hart, K. & Sharp, J. (Eds). 2014. People, money and power in the global crisis. Oxford & New York: Berghahn.

Sharp, J. 2014. Market, race and nation: history of the white working class in Pretoria. In: Hart, K. & Sharp, J. (eds.), People, money and power in the global Crisis. Oxford & New York: Berghahn.

Sharp, J., Hart, K. & Laterza, V. 2014. South Africa in world development: Prospects for a human economy.  Anthropology Today, 30(6):13-17.

Sharp, J. 2013. Towards a human economy: reflections on a new project. Anthropology Southern Africa, 36(3&4):130-134.

Sharp, J., Powers, T. & Laterza, V. 2013. The Human Economy project: first steps. Anthropology Southern Africa, 36(3 &4): 99-101.

Prof Viljoen’s career at UP spanned many years and started when he was appointed as part-time lecturer in the Department of Music at the tender age of 25. He has been Head of the Department of Music since 2008 while lecturing in organ, harpsichord and organ pedagogy.

After obtaining the degrees BMus (UP), MMus (Performance) (UCT) and PhD (Musicology) (UP) in South Africa, he studied the organ under the guidance of Marie-Claire Alain in Paris. During his overseas studies he won the Prix Mention d’Interprétation at the Chartres International Organ Competition and became the first South African to participate in the International Festival of Young Organists in Switzerland. His musicological interest is focused on the keyboard performance practice of the 16th to 18th centuries, especially ornamentation, and he has published several articles on this topic.

As a concert organist Prof Viljoen has performed both nationally and internationally.  Highlights include a concert in Westminster Abbey in London, and joining seven international organists to perform the complete organ works of Jehan Alain at Wichita State University in 2011. His contribution to music in South Africa was acknowledged in 2013 when the Huberte Rupert Prize for Classical Music was awarded to him by the South African Academy of Science and Art.