This SARChI research programme, launched in January 2016, is convened by Prof Steven Robins as Research Leader. Its central concern is to deepen our understanding of the complex web of social and environmental dynamics within which commitments to sustainable development must operate, with the arid Karoo region of South Africa as its primary research site.



The Karoo is a compelling site through which to explore these issues, given its particular history, environment and contemporary social challenges. Adding to this mix are several globally networked developments that are promising major benefits locally and nationally, but also reframing established relationships to land, environment and place. These include the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope, possible shale-gas mining (‘fracking’), and various renewable energy and conservation initiatives.

The programme is organised around a set of individual, core-team and collaborative research projects. The commitment is to research that is empirically grounded, theoretically informed and alert to the importance of cross-disciplinary and comparative work. The Research Chair is based in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology. The Research Chair is funded by the Department of Science & Innovation (DSI), administered by the National Research Foundation (NRF) and based in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology at Stellenbosch University.

Current Research Chair activities

The Cosmopolitan Karoo Research Forum (CKRF)

Our next forum is on Thursday, 17 October, 15:00-17:00. Bram Buscher on his and Robert Fletcher’s 2020 book “The Conservation Revolution: Radical Ideas for Saving Nature Beyond the Anthropocene.”

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Postgraduate student opportunities

NRF postgraduate bursaries can be linked to SARChI Chairs. The call for applications for 2025 is currently open. For general information on bursary opportunities and how to apply click on ‘view more’ below.

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Book Discussion: “Dismantling Green Colonialism” (2023)

The SARChI Chair hosted a seminar where Dr Hamza Hamouchene presented his well-received book, "Dismantling Green Colonialism: Energy and Climate Justice in the Arab Region" (2023).

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