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25 July 2019 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Rulanzen Martin
Prof Robert Peacock
Prof Robert Peacock says the endorsement by the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation speaks to the emancipatory agenda of the book.
The Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation endorsed the book Victimology in Africa by Prof Robert Peacock for its “move away from the Westernised approach”. According to Prof Peacock “the book Victimology in Africa takes a critical emancipatory approach to the study field, one which recognises indigenous African values as a conceptual framework”.

Prof Peacock is the Head of the Department of Criminology at the University of the Free State (UFS), and currently serves as the President of the World Society of Victimology. He is a well-established criminologist and researcher.

This work was published in July 2019 and stands in stark contrast with the individual-oriented punitive nature of Western concepts of law and criminal justice.

African approach which celebrates humanness 

Analyses of secondary victimisation by Western criminal justice, hidden victimisation in society and dehumanising notions of victimhood, are presented together with the misappropriation of traditional knowledge on the African continent and exploitation of international financial institutions. “Its African approach to victimology   one that celebrates intense humanness and universal interconnectedness   can be considered an emerging area of specialisation in the field,” says Prof Peacock. 

The book provides an opportunity to problematise the enduring role of colonial and neo-colonial institutions in maintaining oppression. “For instance, to what extent Western total institutions (prisons) or criminal justice bodies may be viewed as legitimate?” 

Local and international interest 

The peer-reviewed research that is attributed in the book is used in the Criminology curriculum at the UFS and “with considerable interest expressed from a number of universities in South Africa and internationally.”

“The book provides for a transdisciplinary space and scholarly engagement within the Social Sciences and across different faculties   an ingredient considered necessary to contribute to a more innovative space in teaching and learning,” explains Prof Peacock.

Victimology in Africa is a critical element in the ongoing discussions about decolonisation of higher education in South Africa and the endorsement reads: “It seeks to focus on the humanness of the affected and using the philosophy of Ubuntu.”

News Archive

Open Day attracts thousands
2012-05-02

 

Campus was abuzz with prospective students and their parents finding out what Kovsies has to offer.
Photo: Kaleidoscope Studios
1 May 2012

“It is easier to pass Grade 12 today because we don’t have a standard. However, at the University of the Free State, standards are important.”

This was Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS’ message when he addressed a packed Callie Human Centre on the Bloemfontein Campus during this year’s Open Day.

“This university is the jewel of the country. Here at Kovsies we take academic standards seriously. You must know who you are in a place where academic standards are extremely important. Anyone can obtain a degree, but here you can get more than a degree. You get an education,” he said to the more than 5 000 learners and parents from across the country.

“It is not only important that you study here in South Africa, but also in other countries. That is why our students study all over the world. You must think out of your comfort zone, have a big heart, achieve great heights and show everyone that you are a Kovsie.

But, it is not all about studying – it is also about being human and reaching out to others. When you come to this university, you will also do other things that will make you proud of being a Kovsie.

Quality looks for quality. Therefore, work hard and study hard because you need to be at a good university,” he said.

The programme consisted of, among others, a spectacular laser show, a performance by Bobby van Jaarsveld and special messages from DW Bester and Sannah Mokone, Rhodes Scholars currently studying at Oxford University in the United Kingdom.

In a pre-recorded message DW, a Ph.D. student in Mathematical Statistics, encouraged prospective students to work hard and persevere. Sannah, doing a Master’s degree in African Studies, said she believes in the future of the African continent. “I believe in our future students and know you can make it.”

Prof. Jansen also introduced some of the university’s recent student achievers such as Jurie Swart, regional winner of the Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year Award; Farzana Samuel, named by the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS) as the most outstanding student in quantity surveying for 2012; and Sibusiso Tshabalala, one of Google’s Top 10 Young Minds.

Richard Chemaly, President of the Central Student Representative Council (CSRC), said that, by coming to Kovsies, prospective students would become the best person they can be. “We have over 70 student organisations to help you take part in student life activities. So, make use of these opportunities,” he said.

The programme concluded with an introduction to the seven faculties by the respective deans.

The estimated 7 000 prospective students and their parents also had the opportunity to visit faculties and the stalls of residences.
 

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