26 September 2025
The Cosmopolitan Karoo group convened a double panel titled Entangled Ecologies and Contradictory Trajectories of Green Energy, Conservation, Livelihoods, and Labour in the Karoo and Beyond at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Conference at Rhodes University in Makhanda from 20–22 August 2025. The papers drew attention to the conundrums, contradictions, and trade-offs of ‘green’ initiatives which, in the name of ‘planetary salvation’ and the ‘just transition’, often result in the dispossession and further marginalization of vulnerable communities. Professor Thomas Cousins [Oxford University] joined as a discussant and the following students and researchers presented papers:
Professor Steven L. Robins [Stellenbosch University]: ‘Green dreams:’ Angora goats, mohair & ‘sustainable farming’ in the Karoo.
Professor Sonwabile Mnwana [Rhodes University]: ‘Live like it’s one farm’: wool commercialisation, and social differentiation in South Africa’s communal rangelands
Daniëlle Cronjé [Stellenbosch University]: The “Miraculous Spekboom:”: An ethnographic study on dispossessed realities in spekboom restoration sites in the Karoo.
Robert Smith [Stellenbosch University]: Dreams of Green Hydrogen: Assembling Investible Futures in South Africa
Shannah Maree [Stellenbosch University]: “We cannot eat copper dust!”: An Ethnographic Study on the Resurgence of Copper Mining in Concordia.
Caitlyn Sadler [Stellenbosch University]: An Ethnographic Exploration of Contemporary Conservation: Contestations, Changing Models, and the Role of Private and Civil Society.
Faye Rahl-Botha [Stellenbosch University]: Plant Poaching and Conservation in the Succulent Karoo.
Katrina Lehmann-Grube [Stellenbosch University]: Agrarian political economies of renewable energy in the Karoo town of De Aar.
Reflections from SARChI students:
This year’s ASnA conference was both intellectually stimulating and spiritually uplifting! As always, it was fantastic to engage with our colleagues on their research, as well as get good feedback on our own projects. I am very grateful for our panel’s discussant, Professor Thomas Cousins, for his probing and challenging questions.
Robert Smith, PhD student.
This year marked my second time attending the ASnA conference, and once again I found myself inspired by the depth and variety of topics presented across the field of anthropology. From fascinating presentations on gaming communities to thought-provoking keynotes delivered by leading academics, the conference was a strong reminder of the relevance and importance of anthropology in understanding the complexities of human life. What struck me most was the way each session offered a fresh perspective, sparking new ideas and reminding me of the breadth of the discipline. I feel grateful for the opportunity to participate, to learn, and to share the experience with such a supportive group. It was a fitting conclusion to a chapter.
Caitlyn Sadler, MA student.
Participating in the Anthropology Southern Africa Association (ASnA) 2025 Conference has inspired me intellectually, and I am thankful for the incredible people I’ve met, as well as for the friends I’ve had the chance to reconnect with. Thank you, ASnA and Cosmopolitan Karoo, for making this experience possible!
Daniëlle Cronjé, MA student.
The ASnA Conference at Rhodes University was, once again, an incredibly insightful experience as someone who was never exposed to Social Anthropology during my undergraduate degree. The conference opened up a range of diverse and thought-provoking topics, many of which were intriguingly niche in their focus. One presentation that has particularly stayed with me was a master’s student’s work on exploring Belonging and Value through the collectable card game, Magic: The Gathering.
Personally, ASnA highlighted the importance of keeping an open mind to the diverse ways in which people find connection and solidarity and bring meaning to their lives. In this way, many of the presentations that I attended broadened my sociological imagination, remind me that concepts, such as belonging, value and community, are interdisciplinary and can be found in the most unexpected places.
Shannah Maree, MA student.
The Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) 2025 conference was a rich and energising experience. I came away from the conference with thoughtful, constructive feedback on my master’s research and enthusiasm to continue exploring new angles. ASnA 2025 left me with fresh motivation and reinvigorated my research and professional commitments. One of the most rewarding parts of the conference was the chance to meet and exchange ideas with scholars whose thinking has inspired me throughout my journey as an anthropologist-in-training. It was wonderful to spend time with friends, colleagues, and mentors in such a convivial and intellectually generous environment, and I look forward to attending another successful ASnA conference in 2026.
Faye Rahl-Botha, MA student.
ASnA was an opportunity to present some of my PhD findings for the first time. Despite some concern that it felt a bit premature, it was a very useful exercise to concretise and refine my thinking thus far. The positive feedback I received was also very affirming. It was amazing to see the work of other scholars at the conference who are grappling with fundamental issues in interesting, complex and tender ways. And it was a great opportunity to be in the Eastern Cape, and Makhanda, and experience another university.
Katrina Lehmann-Grube, PhD student.
