Team meets in Mthatha, South Africa
The Social Repair team met at Walter Sisulu University, Zamukulungisa Campus last week, October 15th-17th do discuss project progress and outputs.
The team meets at Walter Sisulu University.
(From left to right: Prof Thabisani Ndlovu, Walter Sisulu University; Prof Lori Beaman, University of Ottawa; Dr Chris Miller, University of Ottawa; Dr Guilherme Borges, Universidade de São Paulo; Dr Morgane Reina, Universidade de São Paulo; Prof Christi van der Westhuizen, University of the Western Cape; Prof Paula Montero, Universidade de São Paulo; Prof Lella Nouri, Swansea University; Prof Bhekithemba Mngomezulu, Nelson Mandela University.)
The team had dedicated time to discuss the progress on the case studies in each of their respective countries. The Brazilian team is doing an ethnography of a school in São Paulo to understand how students and teachers exist well together in a diverse space, as well as a genealogy of ‘ubuntu’ in Brazil. The Canadian team is using archival methods to study moments of ‘deep equality’ in a New Brunswick protest movement against a fracking company, and using newspaper articles and interviews to study how Canadian and Americans interact in the cross-border library Haskell Free Library and Opera House. The UK team is using digital methods to study the pro-social messaging strategies of south Wales-based anti-oppression activist groups on Instagram and Facebook, and the South African team will begin their ethnographic work later this year. The South African team will study the work of an NGO in KwaZulu-Natal and its work tackling poverty while empowering communities.
Dr Guilherme Borges presents on ‘deep equality’ to the team.
(From left to right: Prof Christi van der Westhuizen, University of the Western Cape; Dr Guilherme Borges, Universidade de São Paulo; Prof Thabisani Ndlovu, Walter Sisulu University.)
While the team discussed the practical aspects of their empirical research, there was also time to discuss the core concepts underpinning the work. ‘Deep equality’, Ubuntu, social repair, democracy, trust, race, and religion were all discussed by team members with presentations given by the experts of the respective terms. Blog posts summarising the discussion will be published over the coming weeks.
The team explores Zamokulungisa Campus.
(From left to right: Dr Morgane Reina, Universidade de São Paulo; Prof Lella Nouri, Swansea University; Dr Chris Miller, University of Ottawa; Prof Paula Montero, Universidade de São Paulo; Dr Guilherme Borges, Universidade de São Paulo.)
As well as practical and theoretical discussions, the team had time to explore the area to appreciate the rich history of Mthatha.
The team visits the Nelson Mandela Museum in Mthatha.
The team and their families were given a guided tour of the Nelson Mandela Museum in Mthatha where we learnt more about the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa and about the life of Nelson Mandela.
The team visits the Nelson Mandela Museum in Qunu.
The team also visited the second site of the Nelson Mandela museum, near his birthplace in Qunu. This included a trip to see the sliding stone where Mandela played as a child, and the site of his first school where he was given the name “Nelson” after being born Rolihlahla.
Prof Thabisani Ndlovu from Walter Sisulu University arranged for branded laptop bags to be made for the team.
(From left to right: Prof Christi van der Westhuizen, University of the Western Cape; Prof Paula Montero, Universidade de São Paulo; Prof Lella Nouri, Swansea University; Dr Ninian Frenguelli, Swansea University; Dr Guilherme Borges, Universidade de São Paulo; Prof Bhekithemba Mngomezulu, Nelson Mandela University; Prof Thabisani Ndlovu, Walter Sisulu University; Dr Chris Miller, University of Ottawa; Dr Morgane Reina, Universidade de São Paulo; Prof Lori Beaman, University of Ottawa; Kamva Poswa, Walter Sisulu University.)
We will be posting more about our in-person meeting and providing write-ups of our conceptual discussions in later posts.
Tinotenda Muringani, Research & Advocacy officer of the Equality Collective, shared this rural NGO’s work with the Social Repair team.
(From left to right: Prof Thabisani Ndlovu, Walter Sisulu University; Prof Lella Nouri, Swansea University; Prof Paula Montero, Universidade de São Paulo; Tinotenda Muringani, Equality Collective; Prof Bhekithemba Mngomezulu, Nelson Mandela University; Prof Lori Beaman, University of Ottawa.)
