2026

Wingfield, M. (2026) ‘Towards socio-ecological repair and its futures: Metabolisms through colonialism, apartheid, and the climate crisis’. Invited talk at the REPAIR Project, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, 24 September.

Wingfield, M. and Nustad, K. (2026) ‘Drying lands and the hydro-geographies of infrastructure enclosures in South Africa’. Paper presented at the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA) Biennial Conference, Poznan, Poland, 21 July.

Wingfield, M. (2026) ‘New Climate Ethnographies: A Collective Book Talk’. Panel presentation at the Association of Social Anthropologists (ASA) PeopleFest, Edinburgh, UK, 30 May.

Cronje, D. (2026) ‘The “Thicket Restoration Movement:” Silenced struggles, labour exploitation and “success stories”’. Paper presented at the Thicket Forum, Robert Sobukwe, Eastern Cape, 9–11 June.

Borchardt, S. (2026) ‘Beyond the myth of the void: Inverted urbanism and energy enclaves in South Africa’s dryland frontier’. Paper presented at the Fuming Cities: Imaginaries and Enactments of Energy Transition in Africa’s Urban Age Workshop, British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA), Nairobi, Kenya, 24–25 March.

Wingfield, M. and Luckett, T. (2026) ‘Undoing climate apartheid: Confronting palimpsest histories of racialized dispossession’. Paper presented at the Interrogating Climate Apartheid: Law, Economy and Culture Conference, Durham University, UK, 24–25 March.

Walker, C. (2026) ‘Some reflections on current trajectories in the humanities’. Presentation at the Contemporary Humanities Seminar, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa, 17 March.

Borchardt, S. (2026) ‘Lessons from South Africa’s Northern Cape Province: Boegoebaai Green Hydrogen’. Paper presented at The Green Hydrogen South-South Dialogue from Below, NUST Hotel School, Windhoek, Namibia, 2–3 March.

Lehmann-Grube, K. (2026) ‘Renewable energy, landownership and rent in South Africa’. Paper presented at the Life, Land and Society Conference, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia, 20–23 February.

2025

Cronje, D. (2025) ‘Dry taps and green jobs: Rewilding rhetoric, employment exploitation, and silent suffering in Pearston, Eastern Cape’. Paper presented at the International Conference on Small Towns and Rural Villages, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa, 23–25 November.

Eigelaar-Meets, I. (2025) ‘Internal migration and urbanisation of non-urban towns in the Western Cape: Implications, pressures and risks for development planning’. Paper presented at the International Conference on Small Towns and Rural Villages, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa, 23–25 November.

Walker, C. (2025) ‘Reflections on land restitution in South Africa in 2025: Its promise, challenges and contribution to social justice and redress’. Lecture presented for International Relations and Development in Africa 73289, University of Bologna, 17 November.

Walker, C. (2025) ‘Feminist scholarship and the struggle for gender equality in apartheid South Africa, 1976-1992’. Lecture presented for Development Issues in the Global South 99924, University of Bologna, 11 November.

Borchardt, S. (2025) ‘Development as sacrifice? High-tech science & green extractives in the Northern Cape’. Paper presented at the South African Sociological Association Webinar, 30 October.

Lehmann-Grube, K. (2025) ‘Renewable energy and land in the Karoo town of De Aar’. Paper presented at the South African Sociological Association Webinar, 30 October.

Smith, R. (2025) ‘Valuing the future: Levelised Cost of Hydrogen as financialised infrastructure’. Paper presented at the South African Sociological Association Webinar, 30 October.

Borchardt, S. (2025) ‘Social research methods: A hands-on workshop on interdisciplinary approaches, practical insights, and field techniques for conservationists and natural scientists’. Workshop presented at the Arid Zone Ecology Forum (AZEF), Calitzdorp, 21-23 October.

Cronje, D. (2025) ‘The labour of conservation: Silenced struggles behind “success stories”’. Paper presented at the Arid Zone Ecology Forum (AZEF), Calitzdorp, 21-23 October.

Caygill, T. (2025) ‘The perceptions of hunting in the Graaff-Reinet region’. Paper presented at the Arid Zone Ecology Forum (AZEF), Calitzdorp, 21-23 October.

Pieterse, K. (2025) ‘Angora farmers and their goats: Standardization of mohair production in the Karoo’. Paper presented at the Arid Zone Ecology Forum (AZEF), Calitzdorp, 21-23 October.

Robins, S. (2025) ‘Environmental entrepreneurialism and the limits and possibilities of socio-ecological transformation in the Karoo’. Paper presented at the Arid Zone Ecology Forum (AZEF), Calitzdorp, 21-23 October.

Chinigò, D. (2025) ‘Impact, impactful collaboration, collaboration for impact’. Paper presented at the Unlikely Collaboration: On What Counts Workshop, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle, 16–18 October.

Eigelaar-Meets, I. and Conradie, B. (2025) ‘The perfect storm: Demand and supply perspectives on the effect of drought on one Karoo labour market’. Paper presented at the International Conference on Land, Life and Society (PLAAS), University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa, 7-9 October.

Borchardt, S. (2025) ‘Beyond infrastructure: Embedding ethics of care in South Africa’s energy futures’. Paper presented at The Transnational Centre for Just Transitions in Energy, Climate and Sustainability (TRAJECTS) Global Academy 2025 on Re-imagining Climate Change Technocratic Responses, Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town, South Africa, 6–10 October.

Rickerts, C. (2025) ‘Beyond band-aids: Youth development, renewable energy and intergenerational well-being in Sutherland’. Paper presented at The Transnational Centre for Just Transitions in Energy, Climate and Sustainability (TRAJECTS) Global Academy 2025 on Re-imagining Climate Change Technocratic Responses, Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town, South Africa, 6–10 October.

Borchardt, S. (2025) ‘Socio-economic dynamics and future trajectories in Sutherland, Northern Cape’. Paper presented at the SARChI Chair in the Sociology of Land, Environment and Sustainable Development Weekly Forum, Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 18 September.

Borchardt, S. (2025) ‘The social fabric of a changing Karoo town: Socio-economic dynamics and future trajectories in Sutherland’. Paper presented at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) Weekly Colloquium, SAAO, Observatory, 11 September.

Cronje, D. (2025) ‘The “Miraculous Spekboom:”: An ethnographic study on dispossessed realities in spekboom restoration sites in the Karoo’. Paper presented at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Conference, Rhodes University, 20–22 August.

Lehmann-Grube, K. (2025) ‘Agrarian political economies of renewable energy in the Karoo town of De Aar’. Paper presented at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Conference, Rhodes University, 20–22 August.

Maree, S. (2025) ‘“We cannot eat copper dust!”: An ethnographic study on the resurgence of copper mining in Concordia’. Paper presented at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Conference, Rhodes University, 20–22 August.

Mnwana, S. (2025) ‘“Live like it’s one farm”: Wool commercialisation, and social differentiation in South Africa’s communal rangelands’. Paper presented at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Conference, Rhodes University, 20–22 August.

Rahl-Botha, F. (2025) ‘Plant poaching and conservation in the Succulent Karoo’. Paper presented at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Conference, Rhodes University, 20–22 August.

Robins, S. (2025) ‘“Green dreams:” Angora goats, mohair & “sustainable farming” in the Karoo’. Paper presented at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Conference, Rhodes University, 20–22 August.

Sadler, C. (2025) ‘An ethnographic exploration of contemporary conservation: Contestations, changing models, and the role of private and civil society’. Paper presented at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Conference, Rhodes University, 20–22 August.

Smith, R. (2025) ‘Dreams of green hydrogen: Assembling investible futures in South Africa’. Paper presented at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Conference, Rhodes University, 20–22 August.

Lehmann-Grube, K. (2025) ‘Agrarian policies economies of renewable energy in the Karoo town of De Aar’. Paper presented at the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology’s Postgraduate Conference, Stellenbosch University, 15 August.

Rahl-Botha, F. (2025) ‘Plant “poaching”, crime, and socioeconomic status in the Karoo’. Paper presented at the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology’s Postgraduate Conference, Stellenbosch University, 15 August.

Harris, H. (2025) ‘Conservation in community: An exploration of the interplay between the Port Nolloth’. Paper presented at the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology’s Postgraduate Conference, Stellenbosch University, 15 August.

Smith, R. (2025) ‘Political economy of green hydrogen’. Paper presented at the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology’s Postgraduate Conference, Stellenbosch University, 15 August.

Pieterse, K. (2025) ‘Looking at relatedness between Angora farmers and their goats in the Karoo’. Paper presented at the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology’s Postgraduate Conference, Stellenbosch University, 15 August.

Borchardt, S. (2025) ‘Green Promises, Broken Towns: The Disruptive Impact of Renewable Energy Projects in South Africa’s Small Towns’. Paper presented at the 10th European Congress of African Studies (ECAS), Charles University, Prague, Czechia, 25–28 June.

Chinigò, D. (2025) ‘Conservation for Global Science: The case of Meerkat National Park in South Africa’. Paper presented at the 10th European Congress of African Studies (ECAS), Charles University, Prague, Czechia, 25–28 June.

Smith, R. (2025) ‘Dreams of Green Hydrogen: Constructing Investible Futures in South Africa’s Karoo’. Paper presented at the 10th European Congress of African Studies (ECAS), Charles University, Prague, Czechia, 25–28 June.

Robins, S. (2025) ‘Green dreams are made of this: Mohair, wool & “sustainable farming” in the Karoo’. Paper presented at the 10th European Congress of African Studies (ECAS), Charles University, Prague, Czechia, 25–28 June.

Rickerts, C. (2025) ‘Exploring Child and Youth Development: A Case Study of Development Projects Funded by Independent Power Producers (IPPs) in Sutherland, Northern Cape’. Paper presented at the SASA Annual Congress, University of Mpumalanga, 23–26 June.

Wingfield, M. (2025) ‘Common(s) Futures: (Underground) Water Commoning, Small-Scale Farming, and/or the Primacy of Private Property in South Africa’. Paper presented at Where Land and Water Meet, Leiden University, Netherlands, 22 May.

Wingfield, M. (2025) ‘Cosmologies and contestations of climate futures: Thinking about the project of critique from the tip of Africa’. Workshop presented at Climates of Critique, London School of Economics and Political Science, 15 May.

Borchardt, S. (2025) ‘Energy Without Equity: Examining Local Disparities in South Africa’s Renewable Energy Programme’. Paper presented at the Centre of African Studies’ (CAS) Annual Conference, University of Edinburgh, London, 24–25 April.

Lehmann-Grube, K. (2025) ‘Social Protection for a Just Transition in South Africa’. Paper presented at the Centre of African Studies’ (CAS) Annual Conference, University of Edinburgh, London, 24–25 April.

Wingfield, M. (2025) ‘Provincialising Climate Justice: Situated and multisited socio-ecological potentialities from Southern Africa’. Paper presented at the ASA UK Conference, University of Birmingham, 8–11 April.

Chinigò, D. (2025) ‘Partnerships for Energy Security’ (Chair session). Presented at the 2nd Conference of the International Network on African Energy Transition, Nairobi, 8–9 April.

Borchardt, S. (2025) ‘Beyond the Turbines: The Forgotten Communities of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Boom’. Paper presented at Nature-Cultures: Energies, Environments and Communications in Times of Socio-Ecological Crisis, Mont Fleur, Stellenbosch, 3–4 April.

Caygill, T. (2025) ‘From livestock farming to game farming: the shift in land use change spurred on by eco-tourism and “ethical” hunting’. Paper presented at Nature-Cultures: Energies, Environments and Communications in Times of Socio-Ecological Crisis, Mont Fleur, Stellenbosch, 3–4 April.

Cronje, D. (2025) ‘The Labour of Conservation: An Ethnographic Study of Work in Spekboom “Rewilding” Projects near Graaff-Reinet’. Paper presented at Nature-Cultures: Energies, Environments and Communications in Times of Socio-Ecological Crisis, Mont Fleur, Stellenbosch, 3–4 April.

Malope, T. (2025) ‘The rural trap dilemma: The dichotomy between wage employment and a basic household income grant in community development’. Paper presented at Nature-Cultures: Energies, Environments and Communications in Times of Socio-Ecological Crisis, Mont Fleur, Stellenbosch, 3–4 April.

Maree, S. (2025) ‘“We cannot eat copper dust!”: An Ethnographic Study on the Resurgence of Copper Mining in Concordia’. Paper presented at Nature-Cultures: Energies, Environments and Communications in Times of Socio-Ecological Crisis, Mont Fleur, Stellenbosch, 3–4 April.

Rahl-Botha, F. (2025) ‘Plant Poaching, Criminalisation, and Conservation in the Karoo’. Paper presented at Nature-Cultures: Energies, Environments and Communications in Times of Socio-Ecological Crisis, Mont Fleur, Stellenbosch, 3–4 April.

Rodei, D. (2025) ‘Nature-Culture Mediation at the Margins: Memorialization, place making and belonging’. Paper presented at Nature-Cultures: Energies, Environments and Communications in Times of Socio-Ecological Crisis, Mont Fleur, Stellenbosch, 3–4 April.

Walker, C. (2025) ‘Complexity, clarity, communication: “Land reform in South Africa” in 1500 words?’. Paper presented at Nature-Cultures: Energies, Environments and Communications in Times of Socio-Ecological Crisis, Mont Fleur, Stellenbosch, 3–4 April.

Wingfield, M. (2025) ‘Vertical Frontiers: (Re)articulations of the underground through colonisation and the climate crisis’. Paper presented at Nature-Cultures: Energies, Environments and Communications in Times of Socio-Ecological Crisis, Mont Fleur, Stellenbosch, 3–4 April.

Wingfield, M. (2025) ‘Transformative energy regimes in South Africa: beyond the grid, between the people’. Paper presented at the Democratisation of Energy Governance Workshop, University College London, London, 25–26 March.

2024

Walker, C. (2024) ‘Reflections on the work so far’. Paper presented at Reflecting on 30 Years of the Restitution Act, Commission on Restitution of Land Rights Act and Department of Land Reform and Rural Development, Freedom Park Heritage Site, Pretoria, 2 December.

Robins, S. (2024) ‘Discussant: Launch of The Geopolitics of Green Colonialism: Global Justice and Ecological Transitions by Miriam Lang and Breno Bringel’. Event convened by the Institute for African Alternatives (IFAA), 25 November.

Robins, S. (2024) ‘Karoo Futures and the Cosmopolitan Karoo’. Lectures presented to University of Bologna Postgraduate students, 18–19 November.

Borchardt, S. (2024) ‘From Watts to Well-being: Assessing the First Decade of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Producer Procurement Programme (REI4P) on Local Development Initiatives in the Northern Cape Province’. Paper presented at the World Anthropological Union (WAU) Inaugural Congress 2024, Misty Hills, Johannesburg, 11–15 November.

Robins, S. (2024) ‘Post-apartheid political, technological and land-use transitions in the semi-arid Karoo’. Paper presented at the Conference on 50 Years of Transitions in Southern Africa and the Development Challenges Ahead, Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Bologna, 15 November.

Wingfield, M. (2024) ‘The Paradoxes and Trade-offs of the Just Transition’. Panel session convened at the World Anthropological Union (WAU) Inaugural Congress, Johannesburg, 15 November.

Wingfield, M. (2024) ‘Food Futures and Crisis: Repositioning Food Sovereignty’. Paper presented at the World Anthropological Union (WAU) Inaugural Congress, Johannesburg, 12 November.

Robins, S. (2024) ‘Green resource frontiers and the politics of waste and repair in the Northern Cape Province’. Paper presented at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Annual Conference: Repair, Restoration and Reparation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 8–10 November.

Borchardt, S. (2024) ‘Navigating Energy Transitions: Local Perspectives from Sutherland, Northern Cape Province’. Paper presented at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Annual Conference, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 6–8 November.

Maree, S. (2024) ‘An Ethnographic Study on the Perceptions of Mining in Concordia, Namaqualand’. Paper presented at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Annual Conference, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 6–8 November.

Cronje, D. (2024) ‘The “Miraculous Spekboom:” An ethnographic study on contemporary conservation initiatives in the Karoo’. Paper presented at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Annual Conference, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 6–8 November.

Rahl-Botha, F. (2024) ‘Plant Poaching, Criminalisation and Conservation in the Karoo’. Paper presented at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Annual Conference, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 6–8 November.

Rickerts, C. (2024) ‘Community Dynamics and Land Reform: A case study of the Ebenhaeser land restitution claim based in the West Coast Municipality of the Western Cape’. Paper presented at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Annual Conference, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 6–8 November.

Sadler, C. (2024) ‘An Ethnographic Exploration of Contemporary Conservation in South Africa: Insights from the Khoisan Karoo Conservancy’. Paper presented at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Annual Conference, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 6–8 November.

Robins, S. (2024) ‘Environmental entrepreneurship and the “green energy” business: Socio-economic implications of the “greening” of the Karoo’. Paper presented at the Arid Zone Ecology Forum (AZEF), Calvinia, 8–10 October.

Walker, C. (2024) ‘The Karoo as a resource frontier: Implications for sustainable development’. Paper presented at the Arid Zone Ecology Forum (AZEF), The Barn, Calvinia, South Africa, 7–10 October.

Eigelaar-Meets, I. (2024) ‘Delivering science, conservation and renewable energy development in the Karoo while leaving communities behind’. Paper presented at the Arid Zone Ecology Forum (AZEF), The Barn, Calvinia, South Africa, 7–10 October.

Borchardt, S. (2024) ‘The REI4P in the Karoo and the Contested Karoo book’. Farmers Day presentation at the Media24 and AZEF Collaborative Workshop, Calvinia, South Africa, 7 October.

Borchardt, S. (2024) ‘From Short-Term Gains to Long-Term Change: Integrating local needs into South Africa’s Renewable Energy Framework’. Paper presented at the Arid Zone Ecology Forum (AZEF), The Barn, Calvinia, South Africa, 7–10 October.

Myburgh, L. (2024) ‘Holistic Management: A Case Study’. Paper presented at the Arid Zone Ecology Forum (AZEF), The Barn, Calvinia, South Africa, 7–10 October.

Cronje, D. (2024) ‘The “Miraculous Spekboom:” An ethnographic study on contemporary conservation initiatives in the Karoo’. Paper presented at the Arid Zone Ecology Forum (AZEF), The Barn, Calvinia, South Africa, 7–10 October.

Rahl-Botha, F. (2024) ‘Plant Poaching, Criminalisation and Conservation in the Karoo’. Paper presented at the Arid Zone Ecology Forum (AZEF), The Barn, Calvinia, South Africa, 7–10 October.

Borchardt, S. (2024) ‘Energy Poverty in a Renewable Energy Hub: Understanding the REI4P in South Africa’. Lecture presented at The Transnational Centre for Just Transitions in Energy, Climate & Sustainability (TRAJECTS) Field School, Upington, South Africa, 31 August–5 September.

Walker, C. (2024) ‘Bridging siloes: Law, land reform and redistributive justice in South Africa’. Paper presented at the 6th South Africa-Japan University Forum (SAJU 6), Stellenbosch, 27–29 August.

Walker, C. (2024) ‘Change, continuity and contested land use in the Karoo: Selected themes’. Paper presented at the SASA Annual Congress, Stellenbosch, 2–4 July.

Borchardt, S. (2024) ‘Whose transition is it anyway? Navigating South Africa’s Energy Transition through a case study of Sutherland in the Northern Cape Province’. Paper presented at the South African Sociological Association (SASA) Annual Congress, Stellenbosch University, South Africa, 1–4 July.

Borchardt, S. (2024) ‘Shedding Light on Energy Poverty: Household Energy Challenges in De Aar, a renewable energy hub in the Northern Cape’. Panel presentation at the Contested Karoo Book Launch Panel, South African Sociological Association (SASA) Annual Congress, Stellenbosch University, South Africa, 1–4 July.

Robins, S. (2024) ‘Resource frontiers & boom to bust cycles of copper mining in the Karoo’. Paper presented at the South African Sociological Association (SASA) Conference, Stellenbosch University, 1–4 July.

Robins, S. (2024) ‘Discussant: Launch of Vishwas Satgar’s book A Love Letter to the Many: Arguments for Transformative Left Politics in South Africa: Selected Writings’. Panel session at the South African Sociological Association (SASA) Conference, Stellenbosch University, 1–4 July.

Wingfield, M. (2024) ‘Academia meets activism: a new water justice agenda’ (Panel co-convenor). Event organized at the University of Oxford, 20 June.

Borchardt, S. (2024) ‘Discussing the Critical Issues of Phasing Down Oil, Coal & Gas in Southern Africa’. Invited presentation at the Statutory Meeting of The Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) Standing Committee on Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (FANR), Radisson Blu Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa, 20–21 May.

Borchardt, S. (2024) ‘Prospects for South Africa’s Transition Towards a Green Economy’. Invited panel discussion at Advancing Southern Africa Towards a Green Economy: Harnessing Agriculture and Tourism as Cornerstones for the transition to a low carbon economy, Cape Milner Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa, 16 May.

Wingfield, M. (2024) ‘Invisible tethers: underground water and comparative hydropolitics in South Africa’s Cape region’. Seminar presented at the African Studies Seminar Series, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford, 1 May.

Borchardt, S. (2024) ‘What must be in a Just Energy Transition?’ (Panel moderator). Event conducted at the International Dialogue on Strategic Minerals and Energy Transition in Southern Africa, Irene Country Lodge, Pretoria, South Africa, 29–30 April.

Borchardt, S. (2024) ‘Expert panel review of political party manifestos’. Presentation at the Policy Dialogue On Resource Extraction, Development, and Climate Change in South Africa, Wanderers Club, Johannesburg, South Africa, 24–25 April.

Walker, C. (2024) ‘Restitution Retrospectives’. Paper presented at the LRES Findings Launch Conference: Reversing the legacy of spatial inequality and poverty, SALDRU, University of Town, 16 April.

Borchardt, S. (2024) ‘Localising Impact: Addressing Community Needs in South Africa’s Energy Transition’. Paper presented at ARUA NISANA: Pathways of Change in the Social Response to Climate Change in Unequal Societies in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, South Africa, 13–14 March.

Malope, B. (2024) ‘Employment creation by renewable energy: A promise that is not contractually obligated’. Paper presented at the ARUA NISANSA Research Forum, Breakwater Campus, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 13–15 March.

Malope, B. (2024) ‘Contested extractivism: Astronomy, renewable energy, mining, and conservation in South Africa’s resource frontier’. Paper presented at Alternatives to extractivism: Collaborative ways of knowing, being and doing in relation to the (Sub)surface, University of Eduardo Mondlane, 20–23 February.

Malope, B. (2024) ‘The In/Visibilities of Extractivism’ (Discussant). Workshop session at Alternatives to extractivism: ways of being-doing-knowing alongside (sub)surfaces in Mozambique and beyond, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, 20–23 February.

Borchardt, S. (2024) ‘Empowering Communities: Bridging Gaps in Sustainable Development through Renewable Energy in South Africa’. Paper presented at the Operationalising a Just Transition in Africa (OJTA) Symposium, South South North (SSN), Cape Town, 19–20 February.

2023

Robins, S. (2023) ‘Anthropocene or Capitalocene?’. Paper presented at the Anthropocene and Ecocriticism Workshop, Stellenbosch University, 17 November.

Robins, S. (2023) ‘Karoo futures and resource frontiers in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa’. Opening address at the Karoo Futures SARChI Workshop, Devon Valley Conference Centre, Stellenbosch, 15 November.

Robins, S. (2023) ‘Discussant’. Presentation at the Postdoctoral Researchers Colloquium, AVReQ: Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and Reparative Quest, 25 October.

Walker, C. (2023) ‘Marxism, Feminism and South African Studies: Now and Then’. Paper presented at the Symposium on 40 years of Marxism, Feminism and South African Studies by Belinda Bozzoli, University of Cambridge, 4–5 October.

Robins, S. (2023) ‘Discussant’. Roundtable session at the conference Contestations of Memory: Publics and Spaces, Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Studies (STIAS), 25 September.

Wingfield, M. (2023) ‘Hydropolitical activism: from urban Cape Town to arid Graaff-Reinet, and back’. Paper presented at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Annual Conference, Houw Hoek Hotel, 7–9 September.

Myburgh, L. (2023) ‘Hondeklipbaai and Marine Seismic Surveys: Considering the Symbolic Value of Fishing’. Paper presented at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Annual Conference, Houw Hoek Hotel, Grabouw, 7–9 September.

Borchardt, S. (2023) ‘REIPPPPing the Benefits? The disjuncture between the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers’ development programmes and household energy poverty’. Paper presented at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Annual Conference, Houw Hoek Hotel, Grabouw, 7–9 September.

Robins, S. (2023) ‘Boom to bust narratives and imaginings of the Karoo as a resource and technoscientific frontier in a time of climate change’. Paper presented at the Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) Annual Conference, Houw Hoek Hotel, Bot River, 7–9 September.

Malope, B. (2023) ‘Just struggles: How a just transition could look like in a small Karoo town, South Africa’. Paper presented at the German Anthropological Association (GAA) Conference 2023 Workshop: Just Transition? Post Carbon Democracy in the Making, Munich, Germany, 25–28 July.

Robins, S. (2023) ‘Karoo Futures and Resource Frontiers in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa’. Paper presented at the South African Sociological Association (SASA) 28th Annual Congress 2023, University of Zululand, 5–7 July.

Borchardt, S. (2023) ‘Unsustainable Development? South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme and local community development in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa’. Paper presented at the South African Sociological Association (SASA) Annual Conference 2023: Sociologies from the Global South and Beyond: Teaching, Learning, Research and Social Engagement, University of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, 5–7 July.

Malope, B. (2023) ‘Cash transfer for the just transition: A case of small towns in the Northern Cape’. Paper presented at the South African Sociological Association (SASA) 28th Annual Congress 2023, University of Zululand, 5–7 July.

Robins, S. (2023) ‘Discussant: Urban vacancy, occupation and commoning: Advancing a global comparative urbanism’. International Conference organized by the Urban Studies Foundation (USF), Cape Town, Dublin and Vienna, 23–27 June.

Wingfield, M. (2023) ‘Leveraging the ‘Day Zero’ crisis to rework nature-human relations: the case of the Cape Flats Aquifer’. Paper presented at the Political Ecology Network (POLLEN) Conference, University of KwaZulu-Natal, 27–29 June.

Robins, S. (2023) ‘“Is this the future of sustainability?”: Boom to bust narratives of mining, renewable energy and Big Science in the Karoo’. Paper presented at the panel Boom to bust: the end of industrial mining in South Africa, ECAS Conference, Cologne, 31 May–3 June.

Borchardt, S. (2023) ‘Fractured accountability and uncoordinated community development in a South African renewable energy hub: A case study of the Emthanjeni Local Municipality in Northern Cape Province’. Paper presented at the European Conference of African Studies (ECAS): African Futures 2023, University of Cologne, Germany, 31 May–3 June.

Robins, S. (2023) ‘Is this the future of sustainability?: Karoo futures, resource frontiers and boom to bust narratives of mining, renewable energy and “Big Science”’. Paper presented at the European Conference of African Studies (ECAS), Cologne, 31 May.

Wingfield, M. (2023) ‘(Post) Colonial and Apartheid Hydropolitics’. Seminar presented at REACH (Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment), University of Oxford, 1 May.

Robins, S. (2023) ‘Discussant: Professor Homi Bhabha Lecture on Frantz Fanon’. Presentation at AVReQ: Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and Reparative Quest, 15 March.

2022

Malope, B. (2022) ‘Case findings on the extent to which renewable energy projects deliver on a decent-work agenda and possible key demands for worker-led engagements on a just energy transition’. Paper presented at the IEJ/CAAP Symposium: Advancing a human-rights and gender equity lens in climate policy and the Just Transition in South Africa, Johannesburg, 16 September.

Malope, B. (2022) ‘Unpacking the extent to which renewable energy community projects positively contribute to social reproduction: case findings’. Paper presented at the IEJ/CAAP Symposium: Advancing a human-rights and gender equity lens in climate policy and the Just Transition in South Africa, Johannesburg, 16 September.

Marcatelli, M. (2022) ‘Green extractivism and the new politics of distribution in South Africa’. Paper presented at the International Initiative for Promoting Political Economy (IIPPE) Annual Conference 2022, Bologna, 7–9 September.

Borchardt, S. (2022) ‘Keeping the lights on: An exploration of the energy challenges in a small town in the semi-arid Karoo region of South Africa’. Paper presented at the Department of Sociology & Social Anthropology Postgraduate Conference, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 5 August.

Xaba, M.B. (2022) ‘Post-Cold War dynamics and land reforms in southern Africa: The case of Zimbabwe and South Africa’. Paper presented at the workshop Contemporary Issues on Conflict and Security in Africa, The Sheraton Hotel, Arcadia, Pretoria, South Africa, 10–11 March.

Walker, C. (2022) ‘Land reform and beyond in times of social-ecological change: Perspectives from the Karoo’. Paper presented at the Conference on Compensation through Expropriation without Compensation? Constitutional Amendment, Land Reform and the Future of Redistributive Justice in South Africa, STIAS, Stellenbosch, 17–18 February.

2021

Marcatelli, M. (2021) ‘New extractivism and surplus populations in South Africa’. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association (Online event), 16–20 November.

Marcatelli, M. (2021) ‘Co-organization (with N. Wiegink, Utrecht University) of the panel “Green Extractivism in Africa”’. Panel session organized at the Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association (Online event), 16–20 November.

Marcatelli, M., Büscher, B., Robins, S. and Walker, C. (2021) ‘Panel discussion: Book launch of Naturalizing inequality: Water, race and biopolitics in South Africa’. Panel presented at the Indexing Transformation Seminar, Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, Stellenbosch University, 18 November.

Borchardt, S. (2021) ‘Future of Karoo research’. Roundtable discussion on Future Research Directions at the Karoo Futures Colloquium 2021, Social and environmental justice in the Karoo: Interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives, STIAS, Stellenbosch, 11–12 November.

Chinigò, D. (2021) ‘The SKA and knowledge frontiers’. Paper presented at the Karoo Futures Colloquium 2021, Social and environmental justice in the Karoo: Interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives, STIAS, Stellenbosch, 11–12 November.

Malope, B. (2021) ‘Renewable energy and the just transition from the vantage point of Loeriesfontein in the Karoo’. Paper presented at the Karoo Futures Colloquium 2021, Social and environmental justice in the Karoo: Interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives, STIAS, Stellenbosch, 11–12 November.

Xaba, M.B. (2021) ‘Could this be the end of fracking? Examining the dynamics around anti-fracking activism & environmentalism in South Africa (2008-2021)’. Paper presented at the Karoo Futures Colloquium 2021, Social and environmental justice in the Karoo: Interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives, STIAS, Stellenbosch, 11–12 November.

Walker, C. (2021) ‘Land, environment and sustainable development: Reflections on the “Cosmopolitan Karoo” research programme, 2016 – 2021’. Opening address at the Karoo Futures Colloquium 2021, Social and environmental justice in the Karoo: Interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives, STIAS, Stellenbosch, 11–12 November.

Borchardt, S. (2021) ‘Shedding some light on energy poverty: The historic inequality of electricity distribution and household energy poverty in South Africa’. Paper presented at the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHSTM) Lunchtime Seminar Series, University of Manchester (Virtual presentation), 12 October.

Xaba, M.B. (2021) ‘Environmentalism emboldened? Exploring the effectiveness of anti-fracking groups in the fracking struggle in post-apartheid South Africa (2008-2021)’. Paper presented at the Conference on Good Governance, Participatory Democracy, and Social Justice: Civil Society as Agents of Change and Innovation in Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa, 31 August–1 September.

Xaba, M.B. (2021) ‘The extractive industry as an imposition: a sociological examination of the proposed shale gas mining industry in South Africa’. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the South African Sociological Association (SASA), 28–29 June.

Xaba, M.B. (2021) ‘Ceasefire arrangements as pre-conditions for independences in Southern Africa and the implications for land reforms’. Paper presented at the African Association of Political Science (AAPS): Rethinking African Politics Conference, 25–27 March.

Borchardt, S. (2021) ‘Scavenging for wood around the solar panels’. Paper presented at The 5th Energy and Society Conference: Energy transition: Does the mountain give birth to a mouse? (Virtual conference), 10–12 February.

2020

Xaba, M.B. (2020) ‘Bringing development or sacrifice zone? Engaging the debates on the proposed shale gas mining and local development challenges in the Central Karoo district’. Paper presented at the Postdoctoral Research Summit 2020, 29–30 October.

Terblanche, R. (2020) ‘“Learn to live with the jackal”: Fences and predation management around South Africa’s Square Kilometre Array core site’. Paper presented at the Arid Zones Ecology Forum (AZEF) Virtual Conference, 5–8 October.

Borchardt, S. (2020) ‘Shedding some light: Energy poverty in a town surrounded by renewable energy projects’. Paper presented at The Third Biennial Conference of the Political Ecology Network (POLLEN) (Virtual conference), 22–25 September.

Malope, B. (2020) ‘A “Just Transition” paradox: Transparency, accountability and socio-economic development in a rural Karoo town, South Africa’. Paper presented at The Third Biennial Conference of the Political Ecology Network (POLLEN) (Virtual conference), 22–25 September.

Walker, C. (2020) ‘Feminist policy responses to the covid-19 pandemic’. Presentation at the Social Justice Café, Law Trust Chair in Social Justice, Stellenbosch University, 13 May.

2019

Malope, B. (2019) ‘Renewable energy for development? The South African case’. Paper presented at the African Studies Association of Africa Conference on African and Africana Knowledges: Past Representations, Current Discourses, Future Communities, United States International University-Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, 24–26 October.

Walker, C. (2019) ‘Land, Space and Place in the Shadow of the SKA’. Paper presented at the Symposium on Karoo Futures: Astronomy in Place and Space, Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, UK, 25 October.

Chinigò, D. (2019) ‘Land and Identity in the Karoo Astronomy Advantage Areas’. Paper presented at the Symposium on Karoo Futures: Astronomy in Place and Space, Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, UK, 25 October.

Marcatelli, M. (2019) ‘Farm evictions and access to services in Limpopo Province’. Paper presented at the National Conference on The Future of Farm Workers in South Africa, University of the Western Cape, 14–16 October.

Borchardt, S. (2019) ‘Power to the People?: A case-study of local household energy needs in a town surrounded by renewable energy sites’. Paper presented at the Department of Sociology & Social Anthropology Postgraduate Conference, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 2 August.

Moodley, N. and Arries, B. (2019) ‘Responsibility and the politics of water infrastructure in Williston and Vanwyksvlei: a report on the national State and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA)’. Paper presented at the Department of Sociology & Social Anthropology Postgraduate Conference, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 2 August.

Zantsi, Z. (2019) ‘Women in the Stars’. Paper presented at the South African Sociological Association (SASA) XXVI Annual Congress, Southern Sun Hotel, Pretoria, 15–17 July.

Borchardt, S. (2019) ‘Burning the Midnight Oil: An Exploration of Local Energy Challenges of Household Residents in the Karoo Region of South Africa’. Paper presented at the South African Sociological Association (SASA) XXVI Annual Congress, Southern Sun Hotel, Pretoria, 15–17 July.

Xaba, M.B. (2019) ‘The Interface Between Land Reform Officials and Beneficiaries: New Evidence on Land Governance in the Eastern Cape, South Africa’. Paper presented at the South African Sociological Association (SASA) XXVI Annual Congress, Southern Sun Hotel, Pretoria, 15–17 July.

Walker, C. and Chinigò, D. (2019) ‘Knowledge frontiers: Shaping African futures through the Square Kilometre Array’. Paper presented at the panel Space infrastructures, science and technology in Africa, 8th European Conference on African Studies, University of Edinburgh, 11–14 June.

Marcatelli, M. (2019) ‘Surplus population in the Northern Cape Karoo, South Africa: A conceptual framework’. Paper presented at the panel New surplus populations in Africa: Ruptures and continuities in rural transitions, 8th European Conference on African Studies, University of Edinburgh, 11–14 June.

Borchardt, S. (2019) ‘Watt is going on?: an exploration of local household energy needs in a renewable-energy hub in the Karoo region of South Africa’. Paper presented at the International Conference on Renewable Energy (ICREN), Paris, France, 24–26 April.

Walker, C. (2019) Panelist. Panel discussion on Grond, natuur en landskap: ’n feministiese perspektief [Land, nature and landscape: A feminist perspective], convened by Louise du Toit, Woordfees, Stellenbosch University, 5 March.

2018

Walker, C. and Chinigò, D. (2018) ‘Shaping African futures through the Square Kilometre Array’. Paper presented at the Workshop on Knowledge Societies in Africa, Stellenbosch University, 19–20 November.

Walker, C. (2018) ‘Drivers and trajectories of social and ecological change in the Karoo, South Africa’. Paper presented at the Arid Zones Ecology Forum (AZEF) Annual Congress, Robertson, 16–18 October.

Coetzee, M. (2018) ‘The role of the state support and employment in the livelihoods of young women in Sutherland’. Poster presentation at the Arid Zones Ecology Forum (AZEF) Annual Congress, Robertson, 15–18 October.

Terblanche, R. (2018) ‘Two sides to a fence: Disputing the (re-)establishment of vermin-proof fencing around the SKA core site’. Poster presentation at the Arid Zones Ecology Forum (AZEF) Annual Congress, Robertson, 15–18 October.

Borchardt, S. (2018) ‘Whats Watt in De Aar? An exploration of local energy needs and challengers in a renewable-energy hub in the Karoo region of South Africa’. Paper presented at the Arid Zones Ecology Forum (AZEF) Annual Congress, Robertson, 15–18 October.

Walker, C. (2018) ‘Presentation on the research programme of the SARChI Research Chair on the Sociology of Land, Environment and Sustainable Development’. Presented at a Research Workshop with senior SKA/NRF management, South African Astronomical Observatory, Cape Town, 28 September.

Walker, C. and Chinigò, D. (2018) ‘The Future of Land Reform in South Africa: A view from the Northern Cape’. Paper presented at the 5th Conference of the Association for African Studies in Italy, University of Bologna, 5–7 September.

Chinigò, D. (2018) ‘Disassembling the Square Kilometre Array: Astronomy and development in South Africa’. Paper presented at Focus Meeting 15 (Astronomy for Development), XXXth General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union, Vienna, 20–31 August.

Chinigò, D. (2018) ‘Navigating uncertain futures: Representations of time through the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope in South Africa’. Paper presented at the Centre for Humanities Research Seminar, University of the Western Cape, 14 August.

Walker, C. (2018) ‘Cosmopolitan Karoo research: projects and key concepts’. Presentation at the Dialogue between astronomers and social scientists on what we do (and how), Cosmopolitan Karoo Research Forum, Stellenbosch University, 2 August.

Mogashoa, M. (2018) ‘Land rights, identity and belonging: understanding of land and its multiple meanings in South Africa’s land restitution programme’. Paper presented at the South African Sociological Association (SASA) XXV Annual Congress, University of the Western Cape, 1–4 July.

Malope, T. (2018) ‘Precarious employment in energy transitions: From permanent jobs to job in years’. Paper presented at the South African Sociological Association (SASA) XXV Annual Congress, University of the Western Cape, 1–4 July.

Borchardt, S. (2018) ‘Whats Watt in De Aar? An exploration of local energy needs and challengers in a renewable-energy hub in the Karoo region of South Africa’. Paper presented at the South African Sociological Association (SASA) XXV Annual Congress, University of the Western Cape, 1–4 July.

Walker, C. (2018) ‘PhD fundamentals: Some points for discussion’. Presentation at the South African Sociological Association (SASA) Doctoral School, University of the Western Cape, 30 June.

Chinigò, D. (2018) ‘“Discovering the unknown”: Envisioning the future through the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope in South Africa’. Paper presented at the Conference on Global Connections and Comparisons, Biennial Conference of the Association of African Studies in Germany, Leipzig University, 27–28 June.

Walker, C. and Chinigò, D. (2018) ‘Square Kilometer Array in South Africa: Land, scale and assemblage’. Seminar presented at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, 14 June.

Walker, C. and Chinigò, D. (2018) ‘Astronomy and development’. Presented at the Inter-disciplinary Research Laboratory on Astronomy and the Square Kilometre Array, Kuntunse, Ghana, 12 June.

Walker, C. (2018) ‘Space, place and the SKA in the Karoo’. Seminar presented at PLAAS, University of the Western Cape, 8 May.

Chinigò, D. (2018) ‘Envisioning the future through the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Radio Telescope in South Africa’. Seminar presented at the Sociology Seminar Series, University of Cape Town, 7 May.

Terblanche, R. (2018) ‘Ongediertes around the Square Kilometre Array core site: The role of social capital and collective action in black-backed jackal management’. Paper presented at Pathways Africa 2018, Safari Hotels, Windhoek, Namibia, 8–11 January.

2017

Terblanche, R. (2017) ‘Ongediertes around the SKA core site: Preliminary findings on farmers’ views on the power relations around knowledge production in black-backed jackal management’. Speed presentation at the Southern African Wildlife Management Association (SAWMA) Conference, Goudini Spa, 10–14 September.

Duncan, M. (2017) ‘The Political Ecology of a Fence: An ethnographic account of socio-environmental conflict around biodiversity conservation in Prince Albert’. Paper presented at the Arid Zones Ecology Forum (AZEF), Middelburg, 16–18 May.

Borchardt, S. (2017) ‘What are we SEA-ing? An exploration of the communication strategies and extent of public participation at the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) public briefings for Shale Gas Development in the Karoo’. Paper presented at the Arid Zones Ecology Forum (AZEF), Middelburg, 16–18 May.

Walker, C. (2017) ‘Sustainable Development in the Karoo: Reflections on a Research Agenda’. Keynote address at the Arid Zones Ecology Forum (AZEF), Middelburg, 16–18 May.

Walker, C. and Chinigò, D. (2017) ‘Astronomy, Development, and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA): Exploring the challenges from a critical social science perspective’. Paper presented at the Fourth Middle East and African International Astronomical Union (IAU) Regional Meeting, Addis Ababa, 22–25 May.

Walker, C. (2017) ‘Astronomy, Development & Disparity in South Africa’s Karoo region’. Paper presented at the conference The Value of Life: Measurement, Stakes, Implications, Wageningen University, 28–30 June.

Walker, C. (2017) ‘Presentation to the STIAS Advisory Board on the research programme of the SARChI Research Chair on the Sociology of Land, Environment and Sustainable Development’. Presented at STIAS, Stellenbosch, 17 March.

2016

Walker, C. (2016) ‘Restitution reviewed: Reflections on South Africa’s land restitution programme in 2016’. Keynote address at the 2nd Symposium on Regional History Studies in South Africa, North-West University, 25 November.

Borchardt, S. (2016) ‘What are we SEA-ing? Emerging themes at the Strategic Environmental Assessment 2016 (SEA) public meetings for shale gas development in the Karoo’. Poster presentation at the Arid Zone Ecology Forum (AZEF), Prince Albert, 4–6 October.

Duncan, M. (2016) ‘The political ecology of Wolwekraal Nature Reserve and the status of nature conservation in Prince Albert’. Poster presentation at the Arid Zone Ecology Forum (AZEF), Prince Albert, 4–6 October.

Manyani, C. (2016) ‘From livestock to game farming: An exploration of farmers’ understandings of land use changes, sustainable agriculture and bio-diversity conservation in the Ubuntu Local Municipality, Northern Cape, South Africa’. Poster presentation at the Arid Zone Ecology Forum (AZEF), Prince Albert, 4–6 October.

Schoeman, N. (2016) ‘Water and its networks: A case study of Prince Albert’. Poster presentation at the Arid Zone Ecology Forum (AZEF), Prince Albert, 4–6 October.

Terblanche, R. (2016) ‘Ongediertes: A critical qualitative study of the political ecology of black-backed jackal and their management around the Square Kilometre Array core site’. Poster presentation at the Annual Conference of the Southern African Wildlife Management Association (SAWMA), Sustainable Wildlife Management: Striking a Balance?, Tzaneen, 18–21 September.

Chinigò, D. (2016) ‘Frontiers of anticipation: Envisioning the future in the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Radio Telescope’. Seminar presented at PLAAS, University of the Western Cape, 20 September.

Chinigò, D. (2016) ‘Frontiers of anticipation: Envisioning the future in the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Radio Telescope’. Seminar presented at the New Social Forms Seminar, Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, Stellenbosch University, 1 September.

Chinigò, D. and Navarra, C. (2016) ‘Small enterprises in urban areas between formalization policies and social protection needs: A discussion on the Ethiopian case’. Paper presented at the Development Research Conference 2016: Global Visions and Local Practices, Stockholm, Sweden, 22–24 August.

Walker, C. (2016) ‘Land as a contested commodity affecting reconciliation, prosperity & equality’. Presentation to the Mandela Rhodes Foundation Midyear Workshop, Solms-Delta Estate, Franschhoek, 12 July.

Chinigò, D. (2016) ‘Looking out: space, place and temporality in the Karoo’. Paper presented at the Association of Social Anthropologists of the UK and Commonwealth Conference (ASA16): Footprints and futures: the time of anthropology, Durham, 4–7 July.

Walker, C. (2016) ‘Cosmopolitan Karoo? Rethinking relationships to land and identity in the South African countryside’. Seminar presented at PLAAS, University of the Western Cape, 12 April.

Walker, C. (2016) ‘Cosmopolitan Karoo? Rethinking relationships to land and identity in the South African countryside’. Seminar presented at the New Social Forms Seminar, Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, Stellenbosch University, 18 February.

Walker, C. (2016) ‘Cosmopolitan Countryside? A South African research agenda’. Seminar presented at Wageningen University, 7 January.