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Sheep before cattle: The ‘colonial’ enterprise in the expansion of herding throughout southern Africa
Full text linkSelective Violence-Blindness in the Word and the World: Analysing Roots, Exploring Interventions
Full text linkWhile, in theory, largely opposed to violence, the Church, conceived broadly, has historically and in contemporary times been complicit in the legitimation of various forms of violence. To makes sense of this, this paper theorises the concept of selective violence-blindness as a phenomenon operating within the church to legitimise violence enacted upon certain bodies. It does this through analysing and drawing connections between two examples. The first highlights hegemonic readings of Hagar’s story in Genesis 16 to highlight selective violence-blindness in engagements with “the word”. The second centres hegemonic readings of the genocide in Gaza to highlight selective violence-blindness in engagements with “the world”. The paper begins with an exploration of these phenomena. It then offers a framework with which to analyse some of the factors producing this selective violence-blindness. Subsequently, the paper names and analyses three of these factors: coloniality, theological grand narratives, and a failure to recognise discourses as sites of struggle. Finally, drawing on scholars of black theology, Palestinian liberation theology, and black feminism, the paper proposes ways of addressing these factors through liberatory readings of both “the word” and “the world” that make visible and problematise the violence enacted upon certain bodies
Nadar, Sarojini. Gender, Genocide, Gaza and the Book of Esther: Engaging Texts of Terror(ism). Oxon: Routledge, 2025.
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Assessing Indigenous Media Performance in Mobilising Citizens for National Identity Enrolment in Rural Southwest Nigeria
Full text linkThis article investigates the effectiveness of domestic media in mobilising rural citizens towards national identity registration in Nigeria\u27s southwest region, based on Yoruba-language media. Rural involvement has been low, despite the government’s efforts to increase enrolment. A culturally responsive survey was administered to 960 rural participants to measure their involvement with 10 of the most significant indigenous media outlets. Radio broadcasts, banners and interpersonal messages were the most effective ways to communicate the message, with religious and community leaders playing a central role in mobilising citizens. However, these efforts were hindered by systemic challenges such as insufficient registration centres, inconsistent service availability, misinformation and the corrupt monetisation of ostensibly free services. Discussion transcript analysis uncovered ethical concerns in media content, including fear-based tactics, panic-inducing messaging and false information. Contrary to common assumptions, rural citizens did not always fully comprehend their indigenous language, as questionnaire responses revealed discrepancies in understanding, reading and speaking. Expanding grassroots infrastructure, employing culturally appropriate media outlets and developing more partnerships with community leaders to establish credibility are critical to complementing the media in raising enrolment. These findings have the potential to overcome system barriers and incorporate cultural sensitivity into national identity programme planning and execution
Exploring the digital shift: Factors influencing the sustainable adoption of e-health tools for digital mental health services amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
Full text linkThe COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the global adoption of electronic health (e-health) tools for digital mental health services (DMHS) in South African higher education institutions (SA HEIs). However, the long-term sustainability of these innovations remains uncertain. This study employs an integrated Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework to investigate determinants of the sustainable adoption of e-health tools. A cross-sectional survey of 348 staff at a selected SA HEI was analysed using descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis. Three critical factors emerged: (1) University capacity to deliver DMHS, emphasising the significance of top management support, financial resources, and information and communications technology expertise; (2) Perceived benefits and importance of e-health tools, highlighting user perceptions of usefulness, ease of use, and behavioural intention; and (3) External support to enhance university capacity, including government policies, competitive pressures, and institutional partnerships. The study advances theory by synthesising TOE and TAM in a resource-constrained context, revealing how institutional readiness and user perceptions jointly influence the sustainable adoption of e-health tools for DMHS. Practical implications highlight the need for targeted investments in digital infrastructure, capacity-building, and policy alignment to strengthen DMHS sustainability. The study results are consistent with Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3), offering a roadmap for SA HEIs to leverage e-health tools for mental health resilience post-pandemic
Student Perceptions on Out-of-Class Experiences that Impact Student Success in a South African Context
Full text linkThis study investigates the impact of out-of-class experiences on student success in the context of South African higher education, amidst the unique challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing socio-economic disparities. Focusing on first-year engineering students at a South African university, this research utilised root cause analysis through an online questionnaire to explore how out-of-class factors such as study groups, mentorship programmes, and extracurricular activities influence academic outcomes. Employing John Bean’s model of student attrition, the study delves into the interplay between psychological, organisational, and socio-economic factors shaping student retention and success. It reveals that despite existing interventions aimed at enhancing student well-being and academic performance, there is a critical gap between the interventions provided and the actual needs of students, particularly in addressing time management, organisational skills, and mental health challenges. The research advocates for a re-evaluation of current support structures and the implementation of more tailored approaches such as structured learning communities and integrated mental health practices within the curriculum. The study contributes valuable insights into enhancing student retention and well-being by highlighting the essential role of out-of-class experiences in the holistic development of students within the challenging landscape of the Global South
Beyond Classroom Walls: The Impact of Field Trips on Pre-Service Teachers\u27 Engagement with Performing Arts in a Bachelor of Education Programme
Full text linkThis study investigates how field trips to a jazz concert and theatre performance enhance pre-service teachers’ engagement with performing arts in a South African Bachelor of Education programme. The objective was to assess their impact on music and drama education. The sample included 530 students across four years at a university of Technology. Findings show 92% had no prior exposure to formal arts venues, with increased enjoyment, cultural connection, and content knowledge in jazz and theatre. Students reported greater interest in integrating arts into teaching. Using Engeström’s Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), the study emphasises field trips’ role in addressing South Africa’s arts access disparities. It informs teacher education to foster culturally responsive pedagogy
Bridging Ubuntu Pedagogy and Out-of-classroom Spaces in Professional Training: Reflecting on Ad Hoc Group Supervision
Full text linkProfessional training in psychology is demanding. Part of professional training is psychotherapy supervision, and inherent to this process is professional identity development. Psychotherapy supervision is an ethical prerequisite but often operates outside of the formal curricula. As psychotherapy supervisors, we forged an additional space through ad hoc group supervision. The agenda of this space was to facilitate growth and the development of professional identity by foregrounding collegiality, peer engagement, and a space removed from the evaluatory aspect of the curriculum. We use collaborative autoethnography (CAE) in this paper to reflect on our role as the two supervisors within this group psychotherapy supervision space over the last couple of years and how this has operated as an out-of-classroom experience that facilitated development and professional identity formation, as well as the challenges that arose in this space. Three key themes emerged. The first highlights the psychotherapy supervision space, sometimes called clinical supervision. The second discusses the value of the out-of-classroom group created and its utility in facilitating learning. Lastly, we argue for interconnectedness and lessons learnt from creating these out-of-classroom supervision groups. We argue that adopting a posture of Ubuntu in how we interact with students creates a safer environment for learning, particularly outside of the formal classroom environment. We also recognise that this offering was limited by not having student voices and therefore privileges the perspective of supervisors
Fictive Kinship as Social Capital in Jubilee Christian Church Nairobi
Full text linkThis paper draws on fieldwork conducted at Jubilee Christian Church (JCC), Parklands, in Nairobi, Kenya. It examines how fictive kinship among the church members functions as social capital, facilitating trust, resource sharing, and mutual aid. Using data gathered through an ethnographic study of JCC, the study posits that fictive kinship offers its members spiritual, emotional, and economic benefits. The primary methods employed for data collection were participant observation and unstructured interviews. The resulting data was analyzed thematically, and the discussion is based on the fictive kinship theory by Seltzer (1993). The study found that while fictive kinship provides a sense of solidarity and belonging among members, it is possible to exploit individuals based on its principles of public acknowledgment and reciprocity. Notwithstanding, fictive kinship is reinforced by the human need for connection and belonging in a complex urban environment
Introduction to De-centre: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies
Full text linkDe-centre: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies (DJIS) is launched at a critical juncture in global scholarship. For much of its history, the publishing ecosystem functioned on the assumption that legitimate knowledge is defined and validated primarily in Euro-Western, Anglophone, and Global North contexts. Alonso-Yanez et al. (2019) describe this phenomenon as a "monoculture of rigour" that privileges some epistemologies while ignoring others. As a result, scholarship from the Global South has been systemically marginalised, creating what Collyer (2016) describes as "global patterns of exclusion" in knowledge dissemination. Against this backdrop, De-centre\u27s mission of improving contextual relevance, challenging dominant narratives, and promoting inclusion is more than a publishing initiative; it constitutes an intervention into deeply entrenched structures of knowledge production to reconfigure who gets to be heard, whose voices are amplified, and what constitutes legitimate scholarship. Academic publishing continues to reproduce inequalities because of metrics-obsessed evaluation systems, prestige-driven hierarchies, and profit-driven models. As a result of these mechanisms, not only do publishers place more weight on "impact factors" than on social impact, but they also consolidate the power of elite publishing houses located in the North (Köbli et al., 2024; Ampofo, 2024). Dutta (2016) argues persuasively that such structures "prioritise the global over the local," eclipsing indigenous, situated, and community-based knowledge. Furthermore, English-language scholarship remains disproportionately visible and rewarded, leaving non-Anglophone intellectual labour structurally disadvantaged (Alonso-Yanez et al., 2019; Pang and Li, 2017). The persistence of these inequities demonstrates the inadequacy of simply "inviting" marginalised voices to participate in existing systems. As Piller (2024) warns, if we do not fundamentally reimagine publishing itself, we will perpetuate a "textocalypse," a deluge of articles that multiply in quantity without pluralising knowledge