UP Archives recently participated in a national workshop on university history, demonstrating its expertise in the preservation of archival records.

In March, representatives from the University of Pretoria (UP) Archives joined a group of scholars at the second national workshop of the Research Project on the Histories of Universities in South Africa (RPHUSA). Professor Karen Harris, Head of UP’s Department of Historical and Heritage Studies and Director of the UP Archives, and Dr Bronwyn Strydom of UP Archives delivered a presentation on the University’s institutional archives.

RPHUSA was initiated by Prof Saleem Badat of the Department of History at the University of the Free State, and comprises both experienced and emerging scholars from universities across South Africa. It produces critical, rigorously researched institutional histories of universities and historical scholarship on the development of the overall university system, and focuses on specific aspects of universities from a historical perspective.

The workshop, which was hosted by the Ali Mazrui Centre for Higher Education Studies at the University of Johannesburg, included scholars from various South African universities who are involved in researching and writing the histories of the country’s higher education institutions.

The focus of the second workshop was on archiving South African universities, and centred on discussions regarding institutional archives and historical methods employed in the research related to South African universities.

Prof Harris and Dr Strydom delivered a presentation on UP’s institutional archives and told participants about collections that are relevant to the project, and which are available at the National Archives of South Africa (NASA) repository in Pretoria. This information is based on work that was completed by Prof Harris and Dr Strydom at the NASA, and forms part of a RPHUSA project for which they were tasked with drawing up a guide to archives.

Dr Strydom also informed workshop participants about UP’s historical record and its research contribution to the project. This will take the shape of an edited volume of critical essays on UP’s history, which will be published in 2025.

During the workshop, it was apparent that UP is a leading institution in South Africa with regard to the preservation of its archival records and history, and was rated as a benchmark for other institutions.