Kees van der Waal teaches themes in social anthropology, including South African anthropology; ethnographic research; culture, identity and power; and the anthropology of development. His former research focused on the use of space, the informal sector, residential dynamics and development interventions in the Limpopo Province. More recently he has worked on the complexity of local development interventions in a semi-rural area outside Stellenbosch, including community policing in a newly created settlement. In addition, he has been involved in research on Afrikaner identities as expressed in the 'taalstryd' and in popular music. He is vice-president of the Association for Anthropology in Southern Africa.