March, 2

Professor Steven Robins, Professor Cherryl Walker, Dr Stephanie Borchardt, Dr Daniel Rogei, Caitlin Rickerts and Professor Olaf Zenker (from Germany) met with local residents Arrie Hendriks, Gerrit Van Wyk, Jasmine Jonkers, and Nicole Majiedt to discuss the various challenges facing the Amandelboom community. These challenges include high levels of youth unemployment, substance abuse, gender-based violence, and the lack of facilities as well as broken and unfinished infrastructure.

In the meeting it was agreed that later this year Dr Stephanie Borchardt will lead an initiative that will involve focus-group discussions with Amandelboom youth about their lives and hopes. This initiative will also involve training youth in photovoice research methods, thereby allowing them to document and reflect upon the everyday conditions of life in their own community. The aim is to use this information to think through ways of changing the conditions and lives of youth living in Amandelboom.

 
February, 20

Dr Ilse Eigelaar-Meets presented her recently published book, Internal Migration and Development Planning in South Africa (2024), at Stellenbosch University’s Sociology and Social Anthropology departmental seminar. A free copy of the book is available here.

 
February, 17

Former Research Chair and founder of the SARChI Research Chair, Emeritus Professor Cherryl Walker, published a timely piece on misconceptions surrounding South Africa’s Expropriation Act in the Daily Maverick.The article is available here.

January, 31 – February, 4

The research team went on an inception field trip to Lainsburg, Graaff-Reinet, Aberdeen, Prince Albert and Beaufort West. For more information on the trip, click here.

December, 31
Four of our students graduated in 2024: Lizé Myburgh (M.A.), Jana Koorts (Hons), Megan Parkin (Hons) and Tessa Caygill (Hons).

November, 27
We held our year-end workshop, during which students presented their findings, reflections, and future leads. Afterwards, we went for a lovely dinner.

November, 18-19
The Research Chair, Prof. Steven Robins, presented a series of postgraduate lectures at the University of Bologna titled “Karoo Futures and the Cosmopolitan Karoo.”

 
November, 11-15
Dr Stephanie Borchardt presented her research at the World Anthropological Union (WAU) Inaugural Congress 2024.

 
November, 6-8
Prof. Steven L. Robins, Dr Stephanie Borchardt, Dr Daniel Salau Rogei, Robert Smith, Faye Rahl-Botha, Daniëlle Cronjé, Caitlin Rickerts, Caitlyn Sadler and Shannah Maree presented their research at the Anthropology of Southern Africa (ASnA) 2024 conference. Faye was nominated and appointed as the ASnA secretary.Click here for more information.

October, 8-10
Prof. Cherryl Walker, Prof. Steven L. Robins, Dr Ilse Eigelaar-Meets, Dr Stephanie Borchardt, Lizé Myburgh, Daniëlle Cronjé, Faye Rahl-Botha, Caitlyn Sadler and Tessa Caygill presented their work at the Arid Zone Ecology Forum (AZEF). They contributed towards critical discussions around climate change, economic development, and energy access in arid and semi-arid regions in South Africa. Click here for more information.