UP Archives prize awarded to the best group assignment by history honours students based on primary research

On 04 September 2020 the UP Archives prize was awarded to Giné Gebhardt, Gelaine Hart,  Cassandra Squire at the Department of Historical and Heritage prize-giving function.

UP Archives prize award winners

The function was organised and chaired by Mrs Karina Sevenhuysen of the Department of Historical and Heritage Studies. The Dean of Humanities, Prof Vasu Reddy and the Head of the Department of Historical and Heritage Studies, Prof Karen Harris opened the event and welcomed the attendees which included staff, undergraduate and postgraduate students, alumni and sponsors. The function, themed “Ready for Work, Ready for Life,” also featured a virtual exhibit of the finalists of the UP Archives #StaySafe photographic competition.

Dr. Ria van der Merwe, who awarded the archives prize, explained that The UP Archives prize for best group assignment by history honours students based on primary research award was funded by Prof. Cobus Ferreira, the founder of the UP Archives. She said that the idea to launch a module that focused on  primary material in the UP Archives was born when she and Prof. Harris started to work together in the archives in 1999. Prof Harris's idea to include the archives process in the honours teaching came to fruition in 2019. The Honours module  GES 713 included a unique archival research project entitled “What’s in the Box?”. This consisted of a workshop on archives and on best archival practices presented by Dr van der Merwe. The assignment also had significant practical components: students had to complete intensive research work in the archives and had to sort and inventorise primary documents and then contextualise these using secondary texts. The groups also had to present their findings to the University cohort. Dr. van der Merwe highlighted the quality and detailed work of Gine Gebhart, Gelaine Hart,  and Cassandra Squire. She congratulated them on being a “pioneering group that set the bar extremely high.”

The UP Archives wishes to congratulate these students and looks forward to continued collaboration with the Department of Historical and Heritage Studies.