The Flourishing Life Research Network
University of the Free State
A Word That Carries a World
An intellectual programme, and an invitation
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Ngisazophumelela
I am still becoming. We are still becoming.
Prof Narnia Bohler-Muller
Professor and Research Theme Leader

At the heart of the Flourishing Life Research Theme is the phrase ngisazophumelela – ‘I am still becoming.’ It is a reminder that life is never finished, that we are always reaching towards possibility, even when obstacles stand in the way. Flourishing Life takes this idea seriously. It asks not only how people survive, but how they thrive – in their communities, in their democracies, in their environments, and in the digital age.

This theme is an invitation to think differently about rights, justice, care, and connection. It brings together scholars, practitioners, artists, and activists to explore what human and planetary flourishing really means, and to imagine futures where becoming is possible for everyone.

The Research Agenda: The Flourishing Life research theme pursues seven interconnected lines of enquiry.

1. Socioeconomic rights and the jurisprudence of becoming
Rethinking rights as conditions for human flourishing, not just survival.

2. Democratic resilience and the politics of hope
Rxploring how communities sustain democracy and hope in unequal times.

3. Feminism and the body politic
Understanding embodied flourishing through feminist and disability perspectives.

4. Ubuntu and global becoming
Applying ubuntu to global justice and shared responsibility.

5. Planetary becoming and ecological flourishing
Linking human well-being to ecological balance and climate justice.

6. Flourishing in a technological age
Examining how digital systems shape human becoming.

7. Language, translation, and the aesthetics of becoming
Studying language, translation, and art as foundations of flourishing.

Access: The Flourishing Life Research Network: A Word That Carries a World.