Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

Apartheid's Legacy – ghosts, psyche, and trauma

29 September 2023 | Story Samkelo Fetile

The University of the Free State (UFS) is set to host a compelling book launch event, exploring the lasting legacy of apartheid. This thought-provoking gathering is organised by the Deputy Vice-Chancellors (Research and Internationalisation; Institutional Change, Strategic Partnerships and Societal Impact), the Directorate for Institutional Advancement, and the Faculties of Law (Centre for Human Rights) and The Humanities, with a cocktail reception to follow.

The overarching question guiding the event is a thought-provoking one: Even though apartheid has formally ended, to what extent does its legacy persist? This enquiry sets the stage for an exploration of diverse facets of this legacy by three distinguished authors – Premesh Lalu, Wahbie Long, and Saleem Badat. Their recently published works, namely Undoing Apartheid (Polity Press, 2022), Nation on the Couch: Inside South Africa’s Mind (MF Books, 2021), and Tennis, Apartheid and Social Justice: The First Non-Racial International Tennis Tour, 1971 (UKZN Press, 2023), respectively offer textured insights into the enduring shadows cast by apartheid on contemporary realities.

These authors will engage in a conversation with Sarah Nuttall, Professor of Literary and Cultural Studies at Wits and the former Director of the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (WISER), who served in that capacity from 2012 to 2022.

Date: 12 October 2023

Time: 16:30-18:30

Venue: Albert Wessels Auditorium, UFS Bloemfontein Campus

For those interested in attending, RSVP by 6 October 2023 through the event registration. For further information, contact Alicia Pienaar at pienaaran1@ufs.ac.za.

The Speakers

The speakers include Premesh Lalu, Research Professor and former founding director of the Centre for Humanities Research (CHR) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC); Wahbie Long, Professor in the Department of Psychology and Deputy Dean in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Cape Town (UCT); and Saleem Badat, Research Professor in the Department of History at the UFS, former Programme Director of International Higher Education and Strategic Projects at the Andrew Mellon Foundation in New York, and former Vice-Chancellor of Rhodes University.

As South Africa grapples with the lingering impact of its apartheid history, this event promises an insightful exploration of the continuing reverberations of this historical trauma, inviting participants to reflect on the ways in which it continues to shape the present.

News Archive

Prof. André Keet appointed to Ministerial Oversight Committee on Higher Education

2013-01-15

Prof. André Keet
Photo: Anja Aucamp
24 January 2013

Prof. André Keet, Director of the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice at the university, has been appointed as member of the Oversight Committee on the Transformation of South African Universities. He is one of seven committee members that were appointed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Training to monitor progress on transformation in public universities.

The committee will advise Dr Blade Nzimande, Minister of Higher Education and Training, on policy to combat racism, sexism and other forms of unfair discrimination in public higher education. The committee will also advise on the role of universities in promoting the development of a free, fair and non-discriminatory society beyond the world of the academia.

The senior leadership of the university has welcomed the appointment of Prof. Keet and said with his extensive experience as a former Commissioner on the Commission for Gender Equality and as the Director of the university's Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice (which was formed as one of several initiatives taken by the senior leadership in the aftermath of the Reitz incident), Prof. Keet will be a valuable member of the committee.

"Prof. Keet has the experience and expertise to guard the autonomy and academic freedom of universities, thus avoiding this committee from becoming a political intervention in the affairs of the higher education sector," said Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the university.

Honoured to be elected on the committee, Prof. Keet said he is ready to serve the national interest in the transformation of South African universities. "The appointment is also a compliment to the university and to its exceptional experience in the process of transformation."

Prof. Keet will serve on the committee for a period of three years. The other members of the committee are Prof. Malegapuru Makgoba, who will serve as chairperson, Dr Mvuyo Tom, Ms Nazeema Mohamed, Ms Zingiswa Losi, Mr Joe Mpisi and Prof. Shirley Walters.

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

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