November 2, 2026
This session, titled ‘Twelve Theses on Thinking and Overcoming the Neocolonial in Africa', will be led by Michael Neocosmos. It is concerned to rethink a politics of emancipation from neocolonialism.
October 28, 2026
“They conduct their lives with a wry resilience. They have a front row seat to the apocalyptic – birds falling out the sky – but they go on, with a cruel optimism towards the everyday within the age of extreme climate change. To translate that into formal strategies is the work of documentary.”
October 26, 2026
We are pleased to announce the publication of New Contrast’s 212th Issue, In Memory of Diana Ferrus and Zoë Wicomb, which includes contributions from Premesh Lalu who holds the UK-SA Bilateral Chair in Culture and Technics at the CHR, and Bongani Kona (Department of Historical Studies, UWC).
October 5, 2026
This Humanities in Session will be led by Vishwas Satgar who will be in conversation with Lee Walters about his new book and exhibition, Facing the Heat in South Africa, on Thursday 15 October, 2026.
January 21, 2026
The African Critical Inquiry Programme is pleased to announce the 2026 Ivan Karp Doctoral Research Awards to support African doctoral students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences and invites proposals from scholars and/or practitioners in public cultural institutions in South Africa to organise a workshop to
take place in 2027. ACIP is a partnership between the Centre for Humanities Research at the University of the Western Cape and the Laney Graduate School of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia (USA).
July 29, 2025
The African Critical Inquiry Programme has named Maja Jakarasi as recipient of the 2025 Ivan Karp Doctoral Research Award. Jakarasi, a Zimbabwean student in the Anthropology Department, is working on his PhD at the University of the Western Cape. Support from ACIP’s Ivan Karp Award will allow Jakarasi to pursue significant research for his dissertation.
April 3, 2025
The CHR is pleased to announce that applications for the 2026 African Critical Inquiry Programme (ACIP) workshop and Doctoral Research awards for 2025 are now open.
November 1, 2023
The CHR is pleased to announce that applications for the 2025 African Critical Inquiry Programme (ACIP) workshop and Doctoral Research awards are now open. ACIP invites proposals from scholars and/or practitioners in South Africa to organise a workshop that will take place in 2025, as well as for Ivan Karp doctoral research awards for African students enrolled in South African Ph.D. programmes.
November 10, 2022
The CHR is offering a range of research grants and fellowships in 2022-2025 to support new research activity in the UWC archives.
November 7, 2022
The African Critical Inquiry Programme (ACIP) invites proposals from scholars and/or practitioners in South Africa to organise a workshop to take place in 2024, as well as for Ivan Karp doctoral research awards for African students enrolled in South African Ph.D. programmes.
July 12, 2022
The CHR warmly congratulates recipients of the 2022 Ivan Karp Doctoral Research Awards, namely Vanessa Chen, Min’enhle Ncube and Suzana Sousa.
November 9, 2021
The African Critical Inquiry Programme (ACIP) is pleased to announce the 2022 Ivan Karp Doctoral Research Awards to support African doctoral students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences who are enrolled at South African universities.