Introduction

My academic training is in literary studies and cultural geography, and I have worked on a range of projects exploring the connections between place and culture. Most of my research explores identity and inclusion in some way, whether through literature, craft production, food or pedagogy. My current work explores multispecies stories through walking workshops, as well as imaginative modes of writing about landscapes, belonging, and more-than-human connections.

Selected Publications

• Pande, Amrita; Chaturvedi, Ruchi and Daya, Shari, eds. (2023) Epistemic Justice and the Postcolonial University. Wits University Press.

• Daya, Shari (2022) Meat in black and white. Food, Culture and Society. DOI: 10.1080/15528014.2022.2039873

• Anderson, Molly and Daya, Shari (2022) Memory justice in ordinary spaces. Antipode.

• Daya, Shari (2021) Moving from crisis to critical praxis: Geography in South Africa. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 47 (1). 9-15.

• Daya, Shari (2019) Words and worlds: textual representation and new materialism. cultural geographies 6 (3). 361-377.

Introduction

As Associate Professor in the Umthombo Centre for Student Success, I teach and design undergraduate cross-disciplinary courses in the social sciences, run writing circles for postgraduate students,  and supervise postgraduate students in Anthropology and Education. I also contribute to curriculum development across the Faculty, with a particular interest in designing curricula for inclusive education. This ties into my role as Deputy Dean of Undergraduate Affairs, through which I oversee undergraduate teaching and learning in the Humanities Faculty.

My main research interests centre on the effects of coloniality on contemporary knowledge systems - much of what I research tries to answer the question of what we do with, and how we move beyond, that which we have inherited, including (but not limited to) in higher education.

Selected Publications

• Morreira, S. (2017). Steps towards decolonial Higher Education in Southern Africa? Epistemic disobedience in the Humanities. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 52(3), 287-301
• Morreira, S., Luckett, K., Kumalo, S. H., & Ramgotra, M. (Eds.). (2021). Decolonising Curricula and Pedagogy in Higher Education: Bringing decolonial theory into contact with teaching practice. Routledge.
• Morreira, S. (2022). Slow repair: gender and restorative justice in Zimbabwe. Anthropology Southern Africa, 45(3), 153-166
• Morreira, S., Taru, J., & Truyts, C. (2021). Place and pedagogy: Using space and materiality in teaching social science in Southern Africa. In Decolonising Curricula and Pedagogy in Higher Education (pp. 137-153). Routledge
• Chekero, T., & Morreira, S. (2020). Mutualism despite ostensible difference: huShamwari, kuhanyisana, and conviviality between Shona Zimbabweans and Tsonga South Africans in Giyani, South Africa. Africa Spectrum, 55(1), 33-49.

Introduction

Dr Tammy Wilks examines religion and belonging in Nairobi, Kenya. Her research explores how religious communities forge and maintain belonging in a city beset by change, crisis, and conflict and regards these forms of belonging as infrastructural to the making of Nairobi. She employs this research focus in her teaching to investigate how communities in Africa create, communicate, and preserve their texts and teaches a range of texts including oral histories, sermons and khutbahs, material culture, vernacular, and ritual practices.

Selected Publications

• Wilks, T., 2022. Bypassing the Bulldozer: The Materiality of State Violence on Religion in Kibera, Nairobi, in van Liere, L. and Meimena, E. eds. Material Perspectives on Religion, Conflict, and Violence: Things of Conflict. Brill. 73-93.

• Wilks, T., 2022. Coexisting in Color, Material Religion. 18(2): 278-281.

Introduction

Neliswa manages and oversees undergraduate and postgraduate orientation, coordinates the faculty’s Open Day as well as the Student Excellence Award, and visits high schools to recruit learners to the Humanities. In addition, Neliswa coordinates the RPL (recognition of prior learning) process for the faculty.

"I am the link between the university and centre and outside of UCT"

Introduction

Having earned her honours in Management Practice from the prestigious UCT Graduate School of Business, Amanda's educational journey was paved with dedication. Prior to this milestone, she honed her skills in Business Secretarial studies at False Bay College, laying a solid foundation for her illustrious career.

For two decades, Amanda has navigated the labyrinth of administration with finesse, leaving an indelible mark across diverse sectors including IT, Law, Medical, Design, Government, Hospitality, and Higher Education.

During moments of tranquillity, Amanda finds solace nestled amidst the pages of a captivating book, her mind transported to distant lands. Yet, her adventurous spirit remains untamed, ever-ready to embrace the allure of exploration and wanderlust.  In her leisure hours, she revels in the thrill of quad biking and savors the freedom of embarking on impromptu road trips whenever time allows.

Introduction

Jill Samukimba is a PhD candidate in the University of Cape Town Department of Sociology. She holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences specialising in Gender Studies and Sociology and an MPhil in Development Studies. Her research interests are in the sociology of the family, particularly concerning customary practices, relational power, childcare, motherhood, and fatherhood. Her current research explores mothers' role as active agents in influencing, shaping, and constructing fathering among amaXhosa in South Africa.