Professor Deevia Bhana, a reserach fellow in the Reimgining Reproduction Project at the Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship, was one of four scholars who were recognised for their for research at the seventh HSRC-USAf Medal for the Social Sciences and Humanities event on 12 April 2022. 

Up to 87 guests (57 in person and 30 online) were co-hosted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and Universities South Africa (USAf) at a ceremony themed ‘Engaged Scholarship’. The medal is awarded annually to scholars who have made outstanding contributions to scholarship in the social sciences and humanities through their research.

The aim of the award is to acknowledge and celebrate the social sciences’ role in enabling understanding of societal issues. Social sciences and humanities research helps to inform policy as well as programmes to improve people’s lives.

Winning researcher, Professor Deevia Bhana (left), is a National Research Foundation (NRF) B1-rated scholar and a South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) Chair in Gender and Childhood Sexuality, based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. First appointed a SARChI Chair in 2016 and renewed for a second five-year cycle in 2021, Professor Bhana’s recognition as an undisputed international leader in her field has been re-affirmed.  

Her ground-breaking research — spanning education and childhood/youth studies – with particular attention to gender and sexuality studies, has led to a reconceptualisation of childhood sexualities in an emerging field on the African continent, thus contributing to global debate with significant practical value in improving children and young people’s lives. 

Accepting the Established Researcher Award, Professor Bhana laughed, expressing delight that she had decided to make the trip from Durban to Pretoria for this event. “I’m so grateful. This award recognises quality and excellence and helps to build a cohort of scholars in the social sciences.” 

She added that this acknowledgement encouraged research into “things that matter, in the country, on the continent and globally”.

She said she hoped her latest project, titled Reimagining Reproduction, would help grow research on reproduction, gender and sexuality on the African continent.

Her publications on childhood sexuality are considered essential reading, often used by policy makers seeking to redress structural and gender inequalities. She has published 101 peer-reviewed scientific papers, published 11 books and 41 book chapters. She has also supervised 47 master’s students, 12 PhD’s and mentored five post-doctoral fellows.

Other winners include Dr Witness Maluleke, in the emerging researcher category, and the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Social Change (CSC) and the Africa Centre for Evidence (ACE) at UJ, in the research teams category. 

You can read more about the event and the other winners here.