On the 22^nd of October 2025, the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Pretoria hosted its 7^th Postgraduate Conference, an ongoing tradition that unites researchers, academics, and students of the Faculty in an inspiring manner. This event was a great chance for the postgraduate fraternity to display their different approaches to research, debate, and to hold cross-disciplinary discussions, all of which were indicative of the diversity in the Humanities. This year’s conference was characterised by the themes of innovation, impact, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The audience was able to listen to postgraduate students from different disciplines and fields, including History, Heritage and Cultural Tourism; Archaeology, Anthropology, Development Studies, Languages and Social Work, amongst others, who each presented their unique research addressing local and global challenges.

Notably, about 20 participants from the Department of Historical and Heritage Studies (DHHS) showcased their studies, representing both history and tourism postgraduate students. Their participation showcased the department’s ongoing commitment to academic excellence and transdisciplinary research. The following DHHS students had the opportunity to present their research topics at the conference:

Kagiso Seichokelo (Honours student) and his supervisor, Professor Karen Harris (HOD)

• K.G. Seichokelo: “Global Genealogical Tourism: A potential root/route for the preservation of cultural heritage”;
• R. McGregor-Langley: “The Maturation of a Nation: The African Mirror Newsreel and Imaging National Identity, 1913 – 1968”; 
• E. Watson: “'I do, I do, I do': Wedding destination tourism - Evaluating a new niche?”;
• M.M. Morrow: “Photographing Afghan Women: A Study of Gender and Power in Steve McCurry and Jodi Bieber’s Photography”;
• K.P.M. Mosetlhe: “Bodies of War, Patriarchy’s Battlefield and Erased Memories: A Radical Feminist Critique of Comfort Women in Japan’s World War II”;
• D.R. Lotter: “'They're Voting for Brains': Theatrical Soccer Masculinity in Drum Magazine during the 1950s”;
• A.C. Schutte:  "The Bird with the Word" – the Makings of Gil Scott-Heron's Oral Historiography”;
• M. Smidt: “Red Tape: A history of the Allied Medical Infrastructure in the East African Campaign, 1914- 1918”;
• C.L. Sanderson: “Mass Destruction Mind Games: Call of Duty 4 – Modern Warfare’s role in reshaping the history of the Second Gulf War”;
• W. Cox: “Drumming up miscegenation: M.K. Jeffreys and Drum magazine, 1959-1961;
• J.C.A. Jamison: “Three-phased Transdisciplinary Methodology: A Novel Application in Family History Writing”;
• A. De Ponte De Gouveia: “Doctoring the Doctor”;
• E.C. Moliwa: “Wearable souvenirs?: Appropriation versus appreciation in the South African fashion tourism industry”;
• M.S. Motena: “Tronk cuisine: Food and socio-culture in the twentieth century”;
• G.M.G. De Freitas: “‘Chicken or beef”: Flight Attendants Navigating More Than Meals”;
• U. Funde: “Beneath the flames: The social and cultural emergence of the braai”;
• M. Mogoboya: “Silenced, Sexualised and Stereotyped: South African Media Representations of Black Women’s Bodies, circa 1800s-1990s”;
• M.C. Hlabano: “A ‘queer-topia’: LGBTQIA+ tourism in South Africa beyond Johannesburg and Cape Town”; and
• L. Jordaan: “Capitalising on fear?: Developing a serial killer tourism attraction in South Africa”.

One of the highlights of the event program was the 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) Presentation Competition for PhD candidates in the Faculty, facilitated by Professor Karen Harris from DHHS. Prof Harris’s leadership and enthusiasm not only uplifted the contestants but also showed the role of scholarly storytelling in the research process. It was a very competitive session among the doctoral students who were given only 3 minutes to develop a concise, engaging, and understandable presentation of their research. Their presentations was a real test of both academic depth and speaking ability. The following DHHS students took part in this exciting part of the conference:

• W. Cox: “‘Disturbing the silences’ - South African pioneer woman archivist and activist, M.K. Jeffreys (1893-1968)”;
• D. Lotter: “‘Man of the Match: Sports media, sportsmen and masculinities in South Africa, 1950s – 1990s”;
• M.S. Motena: “Imprisoned by dark heritage: South African prisons and the culture of prisoners’ food, 1910 – 1994”;  
• A. Jamison: “Genealogenetic biography: A social and natural science alliance”;
• R. McGregor-Langley: “News in Absentia?: The African Mirror Newsreel and Media Dissemination, 1913 – 1984”; and
• J. Ntuli: “UP student newspaper Die Perdeby as a social historical lens of South Africa, 1960 – 1980”.

Two Hertiage and Cultural Tourism Honours students and UP Campus Tour Guides (UPCT)  – Kagiso Seichokelo and Graciela de Freitas – also added a unique flavour by presenting as part of the conference program. Their involvement signified the marriage of experiential learning and academic research, which bridged a gap between heritage tourism practice and academic exploration. 

“As a participant, I was excited to be part of such a key event! The discussions that took place made me excited to be part of a space so significant.” - Graciela de Freitas

Ultimately, this conference has highlighted the Faculty’s dedication to uplifting Humanities scholars at the University of Pretoria – noting that the future of Humanities postgraduate researchers (honours, master's and doctoral) is an exciting one to watch out for!