Faye Rahl-Botha, 20 April 2025
On 3-4 April 2025, the SARChI Chair in the Sociology of Land, Environment and Sustainable Development (Cosmopolitan Karoo), led by Prof. Steven Robins, hosted a joint colloquium alongside Prof. Mehita Iqani’s Chair in Science Communication (SciCOM) at Mont Fleur Conference Venue in Stellenbosch. The two-day Nature-Cultures Colloquium offered a packed programme of presentations that reflected the unique but overlapping themes of both research chairs. Against the spectacular backdrop of the Stellenbosch and Helderberg Mountain ranges, delegates were invited to pause and reflect on aspects of their research journeys, methodological insights and challenges, and the way forward.
The SciCOM Chair explores the role of communications in connecting scientific research with the broader project of social justice and engaged publics. In parallel, the Cosmopolitan Karoo group have long focused on the social, environmental, and political dynamics of the ecologically-complex Karoo region. During the colloquium, students from both Chairs were invited to draw inspiration from each other, exchange ideas, and engage in deep theoretical and methodological discussions that transcended disciplinary boundaries. This was facilitated in part by a writing exercise, in which students were asked to prepare a theoretical discussion of a keyword relevant to their research to be reviewed post-conference by another attendee. New connections and friendships were formed and the exchange of knowledge was not confined to the conference hall, as vibrant conversations continued during breaks and long into the evening.
We were joined by filmmaker Rehad Desai and activists Faeza Meyer and Nazeer Sonday for a screening of Capturing Water, a documentary highlighting the challenges faced by activists and residents in Cape Town working to solve the City’s ongoing water crisis. The screening was followed by a lively discussion of the many issues brought up in the film that align with the research of both Chairs, including widespread socioeconomic inequalities, climate change and habitat loss, dignity and social justice, development, and the City’s failure to address crumbling infrastructure. The session brought our research insights into direct conversation with grassroots activism and media.
The colloquium was ultimately a great success and delegates left with valuable feedback on their respective research projects and a renewed sense of the possibilities inherent in interdisciplinary work. It served as a reminder that complex global challenges require equally complex, creative, and collective responses. We look forward to collaborating on many more vibrant and thought-provoking projects in the future.
