The elephant in the room: Decolonising teaching and research in higher education in South Africa

22 July 2024, 1.00 PM - 22 July 2024, 3.00 PM

Arts Complex Humanities Research Space 1.H020

Please do come along to the first of three research dialogues led by our UCT-Bristol Fellow, Dr Shanaaz Hoosein, who is a Senior Lecturer, Department of Social Work and Social Development, Faculty of Humanities at University of Capetown.

The event is free and open to all, please do feel free to disseminate widely - the more the merrier!

Dialogue 1:  The elephant in the room: Decolonising teaching and research in higher education in South Africa

22 July, Arts Complex Research Space H1.020

As a black social work South African academic, I have been engaging with decolonial thought unintentionally for the past 10 years and intentionally in the last 5 years. In this discussion I reflect on the transformation process occurring in higher education in South Africa where the #feesmustfall #rhodesmust fall movement highlighted the need for transformation in higher education. Despite the dawn of democracy in 1994 many higher education institutions were slow to transform and with questions being raised as to what decoloniality meant in practice for teaching, learning and research. In this discussion I reflect on my own teaching and learning at two very higher education institutions, one conservative while the second institution was at the epicentre of the fall movement. I do this acknowledging positionality, multiple heritage, race, gender and class within the context of Cape Town and South Africa.

There will be a light lunch provided.

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