Carla Meyer


Fellow: Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, MA

Carla Meyer is a Master of Arts candidate in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of the Western Cape and a Research Fellow at the Centre for Humanities Research. During this fellowship, Carla will serve as a contributor to the multi-institutional and inter-disciplinary Re-Centring AfroAsia project, which is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This initiative is aimed at creating a community of scholarship on the movement of material and symbolic goods during the precolonial era, or between the years 700 and 1800 AD.

Carla is passionate about issues relating to the queer community, of which they are a proud and outspoken member. This inspires and shapes their keen interest in the field of queer theory, wherein their previous research outputs dealt with issues of queer representation in the media. Carla’s research during their fellowship thus applies this interest in queer identities and issues to the precolonial era in Africa, exploring the existence of queer sexualities and gender identities on the continent. This is done against the alarming backdrop of the increasing waves of homophobia and transphobia currently being fuelled by African leaders, with the purpose of rebutting their argument that queerness is “unAfrican”. Carla’’s research during this fellowship with the Centre for Humanities Research is aimed at contributing to the creation of a much-needed body of research on the precolonial era in Africa, whilst simultaneously shifting the focus of queer theory away from the West.

Jul 21, 2021

Carla Meyer

Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, MA
Jul 21, 2021

Zikhona Kokoma

Department of Anthropology, MA
Apr 20, 2020

Ben Verghese

Department of History, MA
Apr 20, 2020

Kiasha Naidoo

Department of Philosophy, MA
Apr 20, 2020

Jacina Danica Januarie

Department of Linguistics, MA
Apr 20, 2020

Lami Magwaza

Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, MA
Apr 20, 2020

Kwenzokuhle Maphumulo

Department of Political Studies, MA
Apr 20, 2020

Sisipho Nqadala

Anthropology Department, MA
Apr 20, 2020

Luvuyo Ndzuzo

DSI-NRF Early Career Doctoral Fellow
Apr 20, 2020

Boitumelo Papane

Department of History, MA
Apr 20, 2020

Sukuma Mkhize

Department of History, MA
Apr 20, 2020

Harry Wilson Kapatika

Department of History, MA

The CHR fellowship programme will continue in 2022 through online platforms and, where permitted, limited live events hosted in compliance with COVID-19 protocols. Please follow our events page for updates about events.

For queries, please email us at

centreforhumanitiesresearch@uwc.ac.za

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