Papers from the Pre-Colonial Catalytic Project vol. 1 Edited by Lungisile Ntsebeza & Chris Saunders

As part of the new Humanities Initiative of the Department of Higher Education and Training, the University of Cape Town (UCT)’s Centre for African Studies (CAS) was given a grant in 2012 ‘to coordinate a network of researchers from at least three institutions (other than UCT) located in different provinces in order to construct a history of broader South Africa from the 11th – 16th centuries’. The Director of CAS, Professor Lungisile Ntsebeza, communicated with a range of scholars from various universities and research institutions in South Africa to elicit their interest in this project.

African Studies In The Post-Colonial University, Edited by Thandabantu Nhlapo and Harry Garuba

Universities always are, and always have been, complex institutions, with many purposes, interests and constituencies that do not seamlessly align.  In the case of African universities, these institutions must play key roles in the provision of the skills and expertise that drive economic and social advancement, as well as global competitiveness. In addition, we must confront the damage done by centuries of colonial exploitation of minds and bodies, and the racism that undergirded it.

Land Use and Rural Livelihood in Africa Project (LURLAP) Update February 2014

LURLAP which is a collaborative research project, currently involving researchers from the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of Zambia (UNZA), was initiated in 2011, following the exchange visits between project team members from the two institutions in 2010. For details about this project please refer to the project brief.

Activities and Events in 2011

The AC Jordan Chair

The AC Jordan Chair in the field of African Studies was established at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 1993 and is named after Archibald Campbell Mzolisa Jordan who was a pioneer in the field of African Studies under Apartheid.

According to Professor Lungisile Ntsebeza, the holder of the Chair and Director of the Centre for African Studies, Africans (in particular South Africans) do not know enough about their own continent and have yet to prioritise a meaningful study of African issues. The AC Jordan Chair aims to address this challenge by championing the integration of African Studies into teaching and learning at undergraduate and postgraduate level within the various Faculties at UCT.