Prof Carolyn Ellis hosted by UJ: workshops and the Second Johannesburg Seminar on Qualitative Research methods

The Centre for Work Performance at the Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management at the University of Johannesburg will proudly host Professor Carolyn Ellis, who is a distinguished university professor at the Department of Communication of the South Florida University, from 29 September to 1 October 2014. She will present two training workshops on alternative days, and will be the key-note speaker at the Second Annual Johannesburg Seminar on Qualitative Research Methods.  

The first workshop will take place on Monday, 29 September, and is intended for master’s and doctoral students. The second one, presented on the following day, is earmarked for lecturers and supervisors.

The seminar, a day-long event, takes place on Wednesday, 1 October 2014. Professor Carolyn Ellis, arguably the most prominent pioneer of autoethnographical work, will deliver the key note address entitled: "Living and relating after the holocaust: a survivor and researcher collaborate in compassionate storytelling".

This address will be followed by a presentation by Professors Garth Stevens and Norman Duncan of the University of Witwatersrand about The Apartheid Archive Project. Next is Dr Lauren Dylle-Myklebust of the Centre for Communication, Media and Society of the University of KwaZulu-Natal whose presentation is entitled: "Traversing reflexivity, autoethnography and narrative in Kalahari research terrains: observations and approaches". Professor Wilhelm Jordaan, a distinguished professor at the University of Pretoria, who is well-known for his articles on a variety of human, societal and religious issues in a weekly column, Van Mens tot Mens, in Beeld, a daily national newspaper, will then present his talk on: "Beavers build dams, spiders weave webs and humans tell stories". He is followed by Professor Willem Schurink, of the Centre for Work Performance, Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management, who as visiting professor has supervised many masters and doctoral students in doing qualitative research. Assisted by researchers, Professor Schurink will give an overview of the life story and autoethnographical research of the Department. The seminar will be concluded by Professors Jordaan and Ellis who will offer a critical evaluation of autoethnography and will look at the road ahead.

There is no registration fee for the workshops and seminar. Attendees will, however, have to carry the cost for their own transport, accommodation and meals.

If you are interested in attending any of these events, please indicate those you prefer, and send an e-mail to Ms Rooksana Sheik at rsheik@uj.ac.za since space is limited.

Yours sincerely,

Willem Schurink

Visiting Professor

Department for Industrial Psychology and People Management

Celebrating with Puleng Segalo: Distinguished Young Woman Scientist of the Year

Top South African women scientists were honoured at the Women in Science Awards (WISA) ceremony in Johannesburg on Friday.

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) hosts these awards annually to reward outstanding female scientists and researchers, and encourage younger women to follow in their footsteps.

The two winners in the Distinguished Woman Scientist (Natural Sciences and Engineering) category were Prof. Priscilla Baker of the University of the Western Cape and Prof. Marina Rautenbach of Stellenbosch University.

Prof. Baker specialises in the application of frequency-modulated electrochemical techniques that can be applied in water analysis and treatment, and to detect the presence of toxic chemicals produced by fungi in fish.

Prof. Rautenbach, a biochemist, has been working on natural antimicrobial peptides, which can be used in nurseries, viticulture, organic farming, animal health care and feeds, aquaculture, food preservation, air and water filtration, the paper industry, dental care and medicine.

In the Humanities and Social Sciences category, the Distinguished Women Scientists were Professors Leila Patel and Marie Poggelpoel, both from the University of Johannesburg.  Prof. Patel and her colleagues at the Centre for Social Development in Africa carry out cutting-edge research into poverty and vulnerability, civic engagement, and the relations between various role players in social development.

Prof. Poggenpoel is the coordinator of the Master's in Psychiatric Nursing programme, and has done important work into aggression in South African society.

The winners in the Distinguished Young Woman Scientist category were Dr Puleng Segalo, a senior lecturer at Unisa, and Dr Nosipho Moloko, a researcher and academic at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Dr Segalo's interrogation of transcripts of testimonies made to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission by women survivors of apartheid has exposed how much structural violence transforms everyday constructs, including mobility and freedom.

Dr Moloko's research has been focused on finding various synthetic methods for the production of semiconductor nanocrystals.  She and her colleagues are looking into the application of these materials in electronic devices such as photovoltaics and gas sensors, and as labelling materials in biological applications.

TATA Africa sponsored several master's and doctoral fellowships, as did the DST.  One of the recipients was Caroline Pule, whose research is aimed at preventing the spread of drug-resistant TB.  Another was Tlhompho Gaoshebe, who is studying indigenous food security strategies for climate change adaptation in the rural areas of the North West.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, the Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, encouraged more women to participate in science.  She said, "The WISA finalists and winners will be invited to participate in science awareness campaigns led by the Department to serve as role models for other women, particularly young girls."

Prof. Glenda Gray, President of the Medical Research Council, delivered the keynote address. “Looking at the history of women in science, it is apparent that women have struggled long and hard to be recognised as legitimate scientists, and that women of colour are confronted with a double jeopardy of both race and gender, not only in South Africa, but at a global level,” said Prof Gray

“As a medical scientist, I must add, history has made me quite proud of the way medical science has embraced women, even from the middle ages! So, although women in the middle ages were excluded from universities, the attitude to educating women in the medical fields has always been more liberal than in any other field. However, it is appalling that I could find only one record of a woman physician holding a chair at a medical school as late as the 11^th century. This physician held a chair at a Medical School, and she specialised in obstetrics and gynecology. But this is one woman amongst many men,” she added.

END

Issued by the Department of Science and Technology

For more information, contact Veronica Mohapeloa, 082 882 3818 orveronica.mohapeloa@dst.gov.za

Reminder of the 5th International Conference on Community Psychology (ICCP)

The 5^th International Conference on Community Psychology (ICCP) will take place from September 3^rd to 6^th, 2014 in Fortaleza (Ceará, Brazil) and will bring together teachers, researchers, students, practitioners, participants and members of social and community movements, in Fortaleza – Ceará.




For more information, visit the conference website at http://www.en.5cipc2014.org/site/capa

Posted by Eduard Fourie
07/07/2014

African Organisation of Community Practice

 Dear CASP Member, 

An invitation to subscribe to the blog www.AfroCP.org.za and keep in touch with community​ practice in Africa. 

  

Kind regards

Wiehann Rademan

6th Annual International Crime, Media and Popular Culture Studies Conference: A Cross Disciplinary Exploration, 22 to 24 September 2014

6th Annual International Crime, Media and Popular Culture Studies Conference: A Cross Disciplinary Exploration
22nd to 24th September 2014
Terre Haute,Indiana United States of America

This is a multidisciplinary conference for those engaged in research, teaching and practices associated with the intersection between crime, deviance, social justice, and/or law with that of media and popular culture. Completed paper is not required. Each evening conference attendees go to local restaurants for dinner and live music performed by some of the conference attendees.

Enquiries: cmpc@indstate.edu
Web address: http://www.indstate.edu/ccj/popcultureconference/index.htm

Featured Speakers:

Jeff Ferrell, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Texas Christian University

SpearIt, Ph.D., J.D.
Thurgood Marshall School of Law
Texas Southern University
"Sonic Jihad: Muslim Hip Hop in the Age of Mass Incarceration"

Travis Linnemann, Ph.D.
Department of Justice Studies
Eastern Kentucky University
"Capote's Ghosts: Violence, Media and the Spectre of Suspicion"

Michael Chemers, Ph.D.
Department of Theater Arts
University of California
"Call a Wolf, Invite the Pack'; Monstrous Jurisprudence and the Legal Werewolf"

Emily Satterwhite, Ph.D.
Department of Religion and Culture
Virginia Tech
"Fearing and Celebrating the Rural as Deviant in Horror Movies"

Tukufu Zuberi, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology
University of Pennsylvania

Jon Simons, Ph.D.
Department of Communication and Culture
Indiana University Bloomington
"Happy are those who act justly': Visual representations of the crimes of occupation through social media"

Jen Schradie
Department of Sociology
University of California Berkeley
"The Seven Myths of the Digital Divide: How Class, Race and Ethnicity Clash with Internet Utopia"

Kishonna Leah Gray, Ph.D.
School of Justice Studies
College of Justice and Safety
Eastern Kentucky University
"Punishing Blackness in Xbox Live: Exploring the Significance of Race in a Virtual Gaming Community"

Additional Event

By Appointment Only
TOUR OF THE EUGENE V. DEBS HOME AND MUSEUM
http://debsfoundation.org/
http://debsfoundation.org/tourhome.html

International Workshop: Violence against Women and Children in Diverse Contexts, 3-6 March 2015

An International Workshop at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa led by Ingrid Palmary, African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS), School of Social Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, and Nicky Stanley, Connect Centre, School of Social Work University of Central Lancashire, UK.

This workshop will bring together researchers from across the UK and South Africa to identify differences and commonalities in the conditions informing violence against women and children in South Africa and the UK.  The comparative nature of the workshop will promote reflection and stimulate new ideas and approaches to research in this field. The workshop will be multi-disciplinary and researchers with up to 10 years of post-doctoral experience (or the equivalent research experience) from the fields of social work, psychology, sociology, social policy, health studies and criminology are invited to participate.

The workshop will deliver a varied and exciting programme of events including key speakers and oral or poster presentations from all participants.  Abstracts should be submitted in line with the following themes:

· Understanding gender and violence across the lifecourse and across diverse contexts;

· Interpersonal violence, political violence and their connections;

· Mobility and gender based violence;

· Violence against women and children and the connections and disconnections between the two;

· Global and local understandings of violence against women and children in an age of globalization;

· Policy and practice responses in diverse contexts.

The workshop will aim to:
i. Improve participants’ knowledge about key issues in research on violence against women and children;

ii. Develop understanding of a range of research methods and their applicability to this area of research;

iii. Provide opportunities to network and build international research relationships;

iv.  Set up sustainable mentoring and collaborative relationships;

v.  Assist researchers to develop research that has influence.

Applications for places at the workshop should be made by 31 August 2014. This workshop is supported by the British Council who will cover travel and accommodation costs for successful applicants. Places are limited and successful applicants will be those whose abstracts are consistent with the themes. Successful applicants will be informed by the end September 2014.

To apply please go to: https://secure.myjotform.com/Acmscomm/www.applicationform.com

For any queries please contact Ingrid Palmary (South Africa) ingrid.palmary@wits.ac.za and Khatidja Chantler (UK) kchantler@uclan.ac.uk.

Sexuality and gender: marginalisation, participation, transformation

Sexuality and gender: marginalisation, participation, transformation

This studentship is hosted by the Transforming Sexuality and Gender research cluster. The research cluster draws together scholars from critical psychology, human geography, sociology, media, criminology, sport and leisure, and health studies to create a theoretically rich and methodologically creative hub of research activity.

The project is being led by Dr Katherine Johnson supported by Dr Kath Browne, Dr Hannah Frith, Dr Olu Jenzen and Dr Megan Chawansky.

For additional information on the project and how to apply please contact Fiona Sutton at F.J.Sutton@brighton.ac.uk or on +44 (0)1273 641065

Detailed project description

The successful candidate will be located in the School of Applied Social Science, supported by access to new qualitative and visual research facilities and will be co-supervised by academics from more than one discipline. The project is expected to provide empirical evidence and offer significant methodological innovation by drawing on qualitative, visual and participatory-community approaches.

Current research priorities in the cluster are to investigate intersectional forms of marginalisation and develop understanding of experience, politics, policy and practice in under researched areas locally, nationally or internationally. The proposed research should aim to improve knowledge about how sexuality and/or gender experiences are formed in the context of marginalisation, exclusion and stigmatisation, and contribute to social justice, community-engagement and transformation agendas.

Funding information

This studentship is worth at least £60,000 over three years, subject to satisfactory progress. For UK/EU students this comprises £4,530 per year to cover annual tuition fees and a contribution towards living expenses of £15,470 per year. For suitable students from outside of the UK/EU the funding will be £13,840 per year to cover annual international tuition fees and a contribution towards living expenses of £6,160 per year. The contribution available towards living costs will rise annually in line with inflation. The value of the studentship will also be raised to take into account any rise in annual tuition fees.

Entry requirements

Candidates are invited to submit their own proposals for original research within these parameters but we particularly welcome applications on the following topics: 

• Mediated sexualities
• Ageing
• Mental health and distress
• Homophobia/Biphobia/Transphobia
• LGBT/Queer activisms
• New/Contemporary Feminisms
• Sport and Leisure (particularly in development contexts)
• Youth participation/exclusion and well-being

Potential applicants should have a minimum of a 2:1 undergraduate degree and desirably have/expect to achieve a Masters degree or equivalent by October 2014 with excellent grades in a relevant subject from a UK university or comparable qualifications from another recognised university. Applicants whose first language is not English, must have either obtained a UK Masters degree or successfully completed a Secure English Language Test (SELT) within the last two years that satisfies one of the University’s English Language requirements as listed here

Closing date for applications is Thursday 19th June 2014 at 4.00pm

_________________________________

Dr Katherine Johnson

Reader in Psychology and

AHoS, Psychology and Psychotherapy Division

Ke a leboha

Dr. Puleng Segalo

(Moradi wa Batshweneng)

Senior Lecturer:Social and Community Psychology

Department of Psychology, P.O. Box 392, Unisa, Pretoria, 0003

Tel: +27 12 4298292