UWC Scholar Publishing Support (University of the Western Cape)
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The Future of Revolution
Get PDFJasper Bernes’s The Future of Revolution is not an easy book to pick up for a reader less familiar with the history of communist thought. It can feel dense, but it reengages communist ideas with a sense of possibility. Rather than offering a new idea, Bernes re-examines old and sometimes forgotten revolutionary texts to ask how they might illuminate the future. His contribution thus echoes Marx’s remark that “revolutions dress themselves up in the costumes of the past in order to speak the poetry of the future”
From bloom to bust: Understanding Namaqualand as a potential green sacrifice zone
No full textAs global demand for copper intensifies − driven by its essential role in renewable energy systems and technological advancement − previouslydormant mining regions such as Namaqualand in South Africa’s Northern Cape are being reimagined as new extractive frontiers. This article examines Concordia, a quaint town in Namaqualand, as a case study to interrogate the socio-ecological implications of renewed copper extraction under the guise of the green transition. While framed as ushering in development, these renewed mining ventures risk reproducing historical patterns of capitalist extractivism, now reframed as ‘green’ or sustainable.Drawing on fieldwork, interviews, and historical context, this article employs the concept of ‘green sacrifice zones’ to analyse how residents and subsistence farmers in Concordia confront threats to land access, cultural heritage, water resources, and livelihoods. It argues that unless inclusive, participatory, and historically informed approaches are adopted, the green energy transition may deepen existing inequalities and lead to reimagined forms of socio-ecological dispossession
Karoo Diary: 1 September to 30 November 2025
Get PDFA selection of events about, and from across, the Karoo that are significant or interesting, or both. Compiled by the New Agenda Editorial Collective at the Institute for African Alternatives and the Guest Editor
Confronting the Dark Matter of Higher Education: Building Trust in Pedagogical Relationships
No full textThis paper explores the structural and ideological constraints that militate against the trust required between teachers and students for effective teaching and learning in contemporary South African universities and beyond. The first part of the paper addresses how widespread commercialisation and precarity born of scarcity, in addition to other widely explored issues relating to the legacy of apartheid and colonisation in South Africa, foster distrust between teachers and students in the South African academy. The second part opens with an inquiry into the meaning and power of trust, before bringing this inquiry to bear on the higher education context and presenting recommendations for fostering trust and meaningful connections in academic settings based on our own experiences teaching a student-led course in ethics at Rhodes University in South Africa, named ‘IiNtetho zoBomi’ or ‘Conversations About Life.
Investigating complexities and opportunities related to extractivism in Africa
Get PDFExtractivism in Africa presents a paradox of substantial economic opportunities and significant social, environmental, and political complexities. Africa’s rich natural resources have attracted foreign investment, contributed to economic growth, and improved infrastructure. This paper examined how extractivism has led to displacement, human rights violations, environmental degradation, and corruption, perpetuated by neocolonialism. Based on a review of literature this article draws on insights from several sources , including articles and reports and describes concepts and a theoretical framework relevant to extractivism in Africa. While the findings of this study articulate the challenges and complexities of extractivism, it also uncovered opportunities that exist for Africa to harness its resources for inclusive growth and sustainable development. This necessitates the enhancement of institutional capacity, promoting transparency and accountability, and ensuring participation in global trade. Regional inter-linkages and improved policies can also maximize benefits and mitigate risks. By addressing the complexities and grasping opportunities, Africa can transform extractivism into a catalyst for equitable and sustainable development
Lydia: Anthem to the Unity of Women
Get PDFDr Kally Forrest, the author of Metal that Will not Bend – a history of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa(NUMSA) – is a former trade unionist and editor of the South African Labour Bulletin. Now she has written a remarkablebiography Lydia: Anthem to the Unity of Women