Lecturer Haile Matutu
Haile Matutu
Lecturer
Contact number(s)
+27 (0)21 650 3309
Background and research interests
Haile Matutu is a lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cape Town, where he is pursuing a PhD in Psychological Research. His work aims to humanise himself and marginalised subjects, exploring the psychology of individuals who occupy liminal spaces in society. This pursuit is shaped by his own experiences of alienation and his commitment to understanding both himself and others through their African perspectives. Haile’s research is grounded in Decolonial Feminism, which he views as a pathway to reclaim humanity for himself and those he collaborates with. His doctoral study examines how intimate partner violence in queer relationships between men influences the construction of post-violence masculinities, thereby expanding conversations around gender, sexuality, and violence with Southern knowledge(s) as his locus of enunciation.
Holding an MA in Psychological Research from the University of Cape Town, Haile has contributed to decolonial psychology approaches through undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, curriculum design, and editorial roles. His scholarly engagements examine the constructions of identities and subjectivities, particularly how sex, race, culture, and place intersect, influencing psychological phenomena. Through his work, Haile aims to promote equitable and ethical practices in psychology. He bridges scholarship and personal reflection to advocate for transformative understandings of marginalised lives and to imagining freedoms.
Teaching responsibilities
- Course convener: Introduction to Psychology (PSY1004F and PSY1005S)
- Social Psychology
- Critical Qualitative Research Methods
Supervision Projects:
2025
Black Researchers in black Communities: Exploring “Insider-Outsider” Dynamics. This qualitative study explores black subjectivity, community, researchers as “insiders/outsiders”, and the ethics of researching black life in psychological research.
2024
The South African Police’s Response to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence: The Experience of Survivors
Selected publications
• Andrason, A., & Matutu, H. (In press 2025). Reflections on (our research on) human-to-animal communication (in Africa): Anthropocentrism, Posthumanism, and White Crisis. Journal of Postcolonial Linguistics.
• Boonzaier, F, Kessi, S.& Matutu, H. (In press 2025). Decolonial Feminism in Psychology: The Hub for Decolonial Feminist Psychologies in Africa - Emerging Praxis from the South.
• Matutu, H., Mpofu, T., & Boonzaier, F. (2024). Editorial Special Issue: Reflections on Un-Settling and Producing Knowledge on Gendered and Sexual Violence. Social and Health Sciences, 22(1),9-pages.
• Matutu, H. (2020). Expository epistles on African psychology | ‘St. Ratele, ora pro nobis’ or ‘Yiza nebhanti phaya erumini’. PINS, 59, 124-131.
• Andrason, A., & Matutu, H. (2019). The syntax of interjections in isiXhosa: A corpus-driven study. Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics PLUS, 2019(58), 1-16.
• Boonzaier, F., Carr, K., & Matutu, N. H. (2019). Communicating about sexual violence: Auniversity case study. African Safety Promotion.
• Matutu, H. (2019). “On the Way to Calvary, I Lost My Way”: Navigating Ethical Quagmires in Community Psychology at the Margins in F Boonzaier & T. van Niekerk. Decolonial Feminist Community Psychology.
• Matutu, N. H. (2018). Humility and Fear: A Meditation on a Theme. African Safety Promotion, 16(20), 48-52.