Dear Humanities Colleagues

Faculty Achievements!

• Juan Bornman (CAAC) has been awarded the Georg Forster Research Award. The award is presented to internationally outstanding researchers from developing and transition countries by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. It includes a monetary award and a funded research stay at a German university. Read more here. 
• Our alumni Ayanda Magida and  Mutshidzi Abigail Mulondo  (Psychology) were part of the Mail & Guardian Young 200 Winners during 2019 and 2020 respectively.

Appearances on Media Platforms

• Ernert Aniche, Chris Nshimbi (Political Science) and Innocent Moyo published the article Borderlands in West Africa are ungoverned: why this is bad for security in The Conversation.
• Johan Thom (School of the Arts) participated in A Research of Doing that was screened at the University of Applied Arts Vienna (UAAV) as part of the Public Programme in an art festival hosted by the Octopus Programme. This is part of a collaboration between the UAAV, the UP School of the Arts and the Centre for the Less Good Idea within the Octopus Programme.
• Thaddeus Metz (Philosophy) gave these presentations:
  • Comparing the Meaningfulness of Finite and Infinite Lives at the Mini-Conference on the Axiology of Theism hosted by the Department of Philosophy at Ryerson University, Toronto
  • An Overview of My Research presented to the UP Faculty of Humanities’ Research Committee
• Roland Henwood (Political Science) was interviewed on:
  • RSG where he spoke about the meeting between the President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, and US President Joe Biden and the Constitutional Court’s decision that Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane was wrong in her findings which continues here
  • PretoriaFM discussing the launch of Action SA`s mayoral candidates, the implications of the Constitutional Court’s finding that former president Jacob Zuma is guilty of being in contempt of court and the Constitutional Court’s judgement on the CR17 campaign
  • Kyknet considering the political developments in South Africa
  • SAfm analysing the events between Russia and a British destroyer  
• Hein Willemse (Afrikaans) on: 
  • Netwerk24 published a commentary on Hoe betroubaar is die regering?
  • Cape Talk was interviewed about whether the government can be trusted
  • RSG he discussed the legacy of the late Afrikaans writer Patrick J. Petersen (1951-1997) on what would have been his 70th birthday
• Laura de Harde (School of the Arts) participated in the KKNK online art exhibition Progression curated by Fadzai Muchemwa
• Amanda du Preez (School of the Arts) presented the keynote address at the  2021 Diversifying Persona Studies Online International Conference entitled The Space Persona, or how to Astronaut
• Benda Hofmeyr was featured on Spreekkamer, a weekly programme on DSTV's Kyknet concerned with physical and mental well-being 
• Tsholofelo Thomas (Psychology) presented a paper on "Ubuntu as a form of social capital for Black students in higher education" at the 'Black Tax Talk' hosted by UP's Mastercard Foundation Scholarship Program  
• Austin Pinkerton (Political Sciences) discussed the webinar In Search of the Perfect Curry: A Gender Perspective on Durban Curry in Two Contemporary Cookbooks which was based on an article published in a special edition of Gender Questions
• Sponono Mahlangu (African Languages) discussed isiNdebele language on Power FM 98.7 which you can access here, here and here
• Nadar Ale Ebrahim, Tivani Mashamba-Thomson and Heather Thuynsma (Dean’s Office) participated in the webinar How to Improve Research(er) visibility and Impact hosted by the UP Library

Publications on academic platforms

• Luis Andrès Lancho Perea (Ancient and Modern Languages and Cultures) published Changes over time in language learning strategy use by foreign language learners in Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies
• Jonathan Okeke and LU Ogbonnaya (Philosophy) published a new book titled African Metaphysics, Epistemology and a New Logic: A Decolonial Approach to Philosophy
• Thaddeus Metz (Philosophy) published:
  • Traditional African Religion as a Neglected Form of Monotheism in The Monist
  • The ‘Meaning in Life through the Good, the True, and the Beautiful’ in M Oppenheimer and J Werbeloff (eds) Conversations about the Meaning of Life
• Glen Ncube (Historical and Heritage Studies) published Medi-Caring on the Colonial Margins: The Position of African Medical Assistants in Rural Colonial Fort Victoria, Southern Rhodesia, 1930s-1960s in the Journal of Southern African Studies
• Charne Larvey (English) edited a special edition of Wasafiri Issue 106: Water  published by Wasafiri: International Contemporary Writing which was also featured on The WISER podcast
• Mutshidzi Mulondo and Tsholofelo Thomas (Psychology) published Inter-ethnic relations among black students at a South African higher education institution in the South African Journal of Higher Education
• Chenaimoyo Hwehwe and Vusilizwe Thebe (Anthropology and Archaeology) published The ‘nouveau riche’ and ‘makorokoza’: Artisanal and small-scale gold mining and unequal distribution of benefits in the Shurugwi District, Zimbabwe in The Extractive Industries and Society

Scheduled Events

• UP Campus Tours is inviting everyone to celebrate Mandela Day 2021 for a complimentary tour of the UP Campus on 18 July 2021 at 10:00. You can join this session here (Passcode 898852) or email [email protected].
• Call for applications for 2021 Honours & MA scholarships and PostDoctoral fellowship in Antarctica, Africa and the Arts muct be submitted by 23 July 2021. Applications and queries must be emailed to Dr Charne Lavery. 
• Tangible Heritage Conservation programme (School of the Arts) will host the Global Consortium for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage’s annual meeting between 28-29 October 2021

My congratulations to all our colleagues!