Degrees: BA Social work; Master of Arts; PhD (Religious Studies); PhD (Social Work) 
Position Title: Associate Professor 
Location: Office 5.02, Leslie Social Sciences Building, Upper Campus, UCT 
E-mail: somaya.abdullah@uct.ac.za 
Tel: 021 650 4219 
Consultation Times: By Appointment. E-mail or call to request an appointment. 
Key Roles in the Department: Teaching; Research; Supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate social work and social development research; Departmental administration

Brief Biography:
Somaya Abdullah holds two PhDs, one in the study of religion, which she obtained through a joint programme from the University of Cape Town and Oxford University, and the other in Social Work, which she obtained under the supervision of Distinguished Professor Leila Patel at the University of Johannesburg, Centre for Social Development in Africa. In her academic career she has been a research scholar at Harvard University, a Crosscurrents Coolidge Fellow at the Auburn Theological Seminary in New York, an Assistant Professor at Concordia College in Minnesota, and an academic at the University of Fort Hare. She is also a registered social worker. Somaya’s research focuses on the study of religion, social work, and developmental social welfare, with an emphasis on counselling and social welfare service delivery in Muslim communities. Her second PhD examined the intergenerational care of Muslim older persons in South Africa, which represents an additional research area in her work.

Research Interest Areas:

• Developmental Social Welfare
• Religion and Social Work
• Care of Older Persons

Research areas for supervising postgraduate students:
Professor Abdullah supervises postgraduate students on a range of topics in social work and social development. She particularly welcomes applications for research in religion, culture, and indigenous practice within social work and social development, as well as studies in social work in Muslim communities. Please direct queries to somaya.abdullah@uct.ac.za