Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
11 June 2021 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Supplied
Prof Joy Owen believes in the mutual intellectual push between research supervisor and student.

Prof Joy Owen, Head of the Department of Anthropology, and two of her students, Ingrid Juries, PhD student and Mamokoena Mokoena, Master’s student, presented a paper exploring the experiences of migrants, at the virtual Oxford Migration Conference that took place from 10 to 11 May 2021 under the theme Borders and Justice.

According to Prof Owen, their paper Bordering on complexity? African migrants’ narratives of boundary creation and dissolution, “tries to make a particular intervention in the transnational migration literature – inclusive of diasporic and refugee studies – which speaks to the complexity of reception in ‘host’ countries”.   Their paper and presentation were included in Routed, a special conference magazine. 

The mainstream portrayal of migrants and residents is that of one-sided aversion and sometimes violence, which gives rise to xenophobic attacks. However, the work done by Prof Owen, Mokoena, and Juries illustrates the ‘rather messy experiences’ of both migrants and citizens and the interpersonal relationships that may result from it.  “These relationships are not merely riddled with negative experiences, but also positive, life-affirming experiences for both migrant and citizen,” says Prof Owen.

 

Xenophobia in South Africa

South Africa in particular, has seen a rise in xenophobic attacks and xenophobia in general, which begs the questions – do we need more research on the matter? Prof Owen says no. “There’s vast literature on xenophobia, and more recently xenophilia – ‘the love of the other’. We need more research that demonstrates the ways in which non-citizens have become part of the South African socio-economic and political fabric,” says Prof Owen.


The complexities of our history in South Africa, that of migration and settlement. “How we narrate those stories, and what we focus on, confirms how we define ourselves as contemporary South Africans, inclusive of migrants in our midst,” says Prof Owen.

 

Mutual intellectual push

For Prof Owen, it is important to reiterate that although Juries and Mokoena are under her supervision, they were also her collaborators for the conference presentation. “Their contemporary knowledge and understanding of the intricate and embattled experiences of migrants in South Africa is growing,” she says. It is a privilege for her to witness the fast, immediate intellectual growth of her students and their academic prowess while being pushed intellectually herself. “That is fundamentally the role of education, is it not? To keep pushing beyond the knowledge we have accrued in service to society,” Prof Owen says. 


News Archive

Vishuis’s fourth Varsity Cup victory about more than rugby
2016-04-15

Description: Vishuis Tags: Vishuis

House Abraham Fischer, a residence from the University of the Free State, is the most successful team in the history of the Varsity Cup. Vishuis beat Patria (Pukke) in the 2016 final of the tournament.
Photo: SASPA
 

For Vishuis, it is about more than just rugby.

This is what Henco Posthumus, captain of House Abraham Fischer’s rugby team, had to say after his team was crowned the national Varsity Cup champions for an incredible fourth time. According to the flyhalf, the title of the leading residence team in the country is “special for the guys”.

Vishuis is the most successful residence team in the history of the tournament. Apart from their four titles, they have played in a total of five Varsity Cup finals.

On 11 April 2016, the residence from the University of the Free State (UFS) launched a great comeback in Stellenbosch to beat Patria (Pukke) by 37-29. This victory ensured that Vishuis was unbeaten in 2016.

Great fighting spirit


The Kovsies started off well against Patria, but were behind 16-29 shortly after break, and had to “delve deep”, according to Posthumus. “To be behind in this way is not what one would prefer. For some reason, we have been in similar situations before, and we know how to make a comeback,” he said.

“We looked one another in the eye and decided that we are not going to lose again in the final.” In last year’s final in Bloemfontein, when Posthumus played at fullback, Vishuis got stuck against Mopanie (Tuks) at the end of the match, and they wanted to prevent this from happening again.

Heymans a hero


According to the Vishuis captain, one of his team’s assistant coaches, Franco (Vaatjie) van der Merwe, spoke harshly to the players when they were behind. The victory was clinched in the dying moments, with the second try of scrumhalf, Ruben Heymans, when the score was 29 points each. Heymans was a star, and the well-deserved Man of the Match.

Posthumus said it is a great privilege to carry the title of Varsity Cup champions. His team has worked hard to reach the top.

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept