On 16 July, during the Free State Arts Festival, the University of the Free State (UFS) launched Research and Activism: Ruth First & Activist Research, an incisive edited volume by Professors Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Internationalisation at the UFS, and Saleem Badat, Research Professor in the UFS Department of History. 

The event was facilitated by Prof Christian Williams, Associate Professor of Anthropology, with Prof Reddy delivering the keynote address and Dr Lazlo Passemiers, Senior Lecturer in History, serving as respondent.

The important new work pays tribute to Ruth First - South African freedom fighter, journalist, intellectual, and scholar-activist, who’s unflinching pursuit of justice continues to resonate. Far from a closed chapter in South Africa’s struggle history, First’s legacy remains a compelling call to action for contemporary scholars, activists, and institutions: to confront injustice, speak with conviction, and pursue research rooted in ethical action. 

A legacy of fearless scholarship

Ruth First’s activism was grounded in refusal to remain silent in the face of injustice. As a tenacious investigative journalist and public intellectual, she exposed the systemic violence of apartheid and challenged power through sharp incisive analysis and courageous advocacy. Her life, and her assassination by apartheid operatives in 1982, exemplify the personal and political costs of speaking truth to power.

Prof Vasu Reddy reflected that First “theorised, analysed, and connected the dots between racism, capitalism, and oppression, and refused to dilute her message for mass appeal.” Her words”, he said, “unsettled because they were true. Her activism “compels us to speak courageously, think critically, and act ethically. She turned ideas into instruments of liberation.”

Beyond the ivory tower 

With contributions from 17 scholars, the volume examines themes ranging from climate justice and activism in Marikana to the ethics of legal practice, community engagement, and the role of the university in social transformation. 

Prof Reddy emphasised that Ruth First’s example disrupts the traditional notions of academia. “Universities must be engines of social change, not ivory towers,” he argued. “Her legacy reminds us that activist research is about standing with the marginalised, and not merely studying them.” 

Dr Passemiers echoed this view, describing First as one of South Africa’s foremost examples of blending impactful activism with rigorous scholarship. “Her activism was often transnational, connecting South Africa’s liberation struggle with broader regional movements. This perspective is especially relevant today, as many of our challenges transcend national borders.”

He added that the book should be required reading for students in the social sciences and humanities, as it “challenges misconceptions about activist research and shows how scholarship can contribute meaningfully to public life, beyond academic debate.”

Redefining academic activism 

Prof Christian Williams underscored one of the book’s central provocations: to set a litmus test for genuine activist research. He argued that activism and scholarship can compete with one another, but should, following First’s example, be intersecting commitments. “There is no true academic neutrality,” he noted.

Members of the audience also touched on related themes pertaining to the role of universities in society, responding to the book’s content as narrated at the launch. For example, the collection interrogates how universities often claim to be ‘engaged’ while aligning primarily with business, the state, and elite interests. True activist research, the contributors argue, must connect with social movements and confront power, not shy away from it. Members of the audience reflected on this point, considering what it means for researchers to do activist research amidst attacks on social justice-oriented programmes in higher education globally.