Transforming Humanities Curricula: African-American Schools of Thought
The University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation (IPATC), South Africa, in collaboration with Howard University’s Graduate Studies in the Department of African Studies, Washington D.C., United States; the UJ South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) Chair: Teaching and Learning; and the UJ Library, hosted a virtual book launch of the volume titled “From Ivory Towers to Ebony Towers: Transforming Humanities Curricula in South Africa, Africa and African-American Studies,” on Wednesday 20 October 2021 between 15h30 and 17h00 (South African Standard Time); 13h30 and 15h00 (Greenwich Mean Time); and 09h30 and 11h00 (Eastern Daylight Time). The book launch was attended by 40 people, among these, a number of academic, civil society, governmental, and other engaged communities in South Africa, Africa, North America, Europe, and beyond.
Despite two-and-a-half decades of black majority rule after 1994, much of South African higher education in the area of humanities continues to embrace European models and paradigms. This book argues that, beyond the use of internally constructed strategies to foster curriculum transformation in South Africa, it is important to draw lessons from the curriculum transformation efforts of other African countries and African-American studies in the United States (US). African-American studies emerged in the US from the 1920s to debunk notions of white superiority and challenge racist ideas and structures in International Relations. The two important schools of this scholarship were the Atlanta School of Sociology and the Howard School of International Affairs.
Chair: Dr. Adeoye O. Akinola, Head of Research and Teaching, Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation, at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Speakers: Professor Krista Johnson, Associate Professor and Director, Graduate Studies in the Department of African Studies, at Howard University, Washington D.C., United States.
Professor Aldon Morris, Leon Forrest Professor of Sociology and African American Studies, at Northwestern University, Evanston, United States.
Ms Zoliswa Ntsoko (South Africa) is the Institute’s Administrative Assistant who assists with general administration and research. She is a seasoned professional with a background in Disaster Management. She holds an Advanced Diploma in Management from Milpark Business School, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Management from Regenesys Business School. She also holds certificates in Project Management, and in Disaster Management. Previously, she has worked as a Disaster Management Specialist at the City of Johannesburg – Disaster Management Centre.
Ms Cecilia Lwiindi Nedziwe-Moyo is the Research Coordinator at the Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation. She previously served as a Regional Coordinator at the Centre for Peace Initiatives in Africa (CPIA) in Zimbabwe between 2007 and 2013. She completed her master’s degree in International Studies, Peace, and Conflict Resolution at the University of Queensland in Australia as a Rotary Peace Scholar. She has just completed her doctoral studies at Rhodes University. Her areas of interest include: gender, foreign policy, regional organisations and conflict resolution.
Ms Thembeka Somtseu is a seasoned professional with a background in the textile and construction sectors. She holds a National Diploma in Business Administration from the Durban University of Technology, and studied Development Communication and Media Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. She worked as a corporate communications specialist for more than ten years, serving in both local and multinational companies.