There are two seminar series in the Department.

NSF (New Social Forms) seminars investigates new social forms and experimental communities in South Africa and beyond. South African examples include international crime syndicates and gangs, anti-crime vigilante groups such as Pagad and Mapogo, new globally connected social movements, transnational advocacy networks, CBOs and NGOs such as Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and the SA Homeless People's Federation, new religious and occult movements, changes in family and household structures, new sexual cultures and so on. This series is aimed at a university-wide audience and both external and departmental speakers are invited to address it.

SIF (Society in Focus) seminars provide a more informal forum to address other sociological and anthropological issues. This seminar series provides students and staff with a better opportunity to participate in discussions and to present their research and work in progress. The informal format also allows for workshops, seminars, symposiums or any other occasions that fall outside the New Social Forms theme.

Seminars are normally on a Thursday from 13:00-14:15 (Room 403, Arts and Social Science building, Stellenbosch University). Presenters usually speak for 35 mins, followed by questions and discussion in the remaining time. Any questions about the seminar may be addressed to Bernard Dubbeld, who coordinates the seminar, as well as to Steven Robins, Rashid Begg and Cherryl Walker.

Schedule of 2008 seminars

Second Semester, 2008

July

July 24
Achille Mbembe (WISER), Jean & John Comaroff (Chicago) and Harry Garuba (UCT), "Citizenship and its Others" [session 1-3pm] (NSF)

July 31
Rashid Begg (Stellenbosch) "A Weberian analysis of Volkskapitalisme" (SIF)

August

August 7
Marius Tredoux (Stellenbosch) "Views expressed by stakeholders in the housing delivery process on informal settlements and their formalisation: A Cape Town Case study" (SIF)

August 14
Gavin Williams (Oxford) "Cheap but plentiful: Markets for Wine and Supplies of Labour, 1838-1988" (NSF)

August 21
Shireen Hassim (Wits) “Democracy's shadows: Gender equality, the Zuma trial and the constraints of the social.” (NSF)

August 28
Bernard Dubbeld (Stellenbosch) “The challenge of unmaking the taken-for-granted: Teaching social theory in South African senior undergraduate classes” (SIF)

September

Sep 5
James Ferguson (Stanford) Brown Bag discussion with Prof. Ferguson talking about his work, from his critique of development in Lesotho, his ethnography of decline in Zambia, to new research on social grants in South Africa. (Please note this is a on a Friday) (NSF)

Sep 15
Deborah Posel (WISER) "When Freedom brings Death: Versions of Post-Apartheid in the thick of HIV/AIDS" (Please note this is on a Monday) (NSF)

Sep 18
Ineke van Kessel (Leiden) "Revisiting the UDF" (NSF)

Sep 25
MA proposal presentations: Jana Barnard, Francois Louw, Izak Van Zyl (NSF)

October

Oct 2
Dan Yon (York, Canada) "From Multiculturalism to Cosmopolitanism(s) -some thoughts on method" (NSF)

Oct 9
Oliver Human (Stellenbosch) "The rings around Jonathan's eyes: HIV medicine at the margins of administration" (SIF)

Oct 16
Keith Dietrich (Stellenbosch) "Retrieving and Recounting Histories: family photographs of historical Western Cape communities." (NSF)

Oct 23
James Williams (Johns Hopkins) "Hard categories, indescribable things, and some forceful words on death: Young migrants in Cape Town" (NSF)

Oct 30
Suren Pillay (Columbia and HSRC) Title to be confirmed. (NSF)

November

Nov 6
Henk van Rinsen (Utrecht)  "Ritual, Identity and Transformation in Higher Education: two case studies" (NSF)

Nov 13
Lindy Heinecken (Stellenbosch)  "The impact of private security on public security" (NSF)

First Semester, 2008

February

Feb 28
 Jean Comaroff (Chicago), Steven Robins (Stellenbosch) and Ulrike Kistner (Unisa) on “Biopolitics and Citizenship in a time of Aids” (please note this session runs from 1-3pm) (NSF)

March

March 6
 Jacob du Plessis (Stellenbosch) “Community Interaction: definitions, interpretations, and the university context” (SIF)

March 13
Jantjie Xaba (Stellenbosch) “From Volkskapitalisme to Black Economic Empowerment” (PhD proposal) (SIF)

March 20
Joachim Ewert, Steven Robins, Jacob du Plessis and Cherryl Walker (all Stellenbosch). “Directions in Development Studies” (SIF)

April

April 24
13:00-15:00 Honours Proposals (SIF)

May

May 8
13:00-15:00 MA proposals (Johnnie Tolken, Ettienne Fourie, and Justin Du Toit) (SIF)

May 15
Ranjita Mohanty (PRIA) "Social Exclusion and Local Governance in India" (NSF)

May 22
Betsey Brada (Chicago) "'They dreamed of a treatment that would not depend on patients': the problem of 'knowing' adherence in a Paediatric HIV clinic" (NSF)

Follow this link for more information on historic seminars (pdf) (seminars of 2007 and earlier).
(to be uploaded)