ESI Press (Univ. of Pretoria)
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Thinking Through Food in South Africa: Identities, Embodiment and Representation
Full text linkWhen we sit at individual or communal tables, we consider each other and our senses before taking a single bite. We think about what brought us to the table, who we are eating with, what meal will be served and possibly even where the food is from. South Africa is home to diverse cultures, histories, food heritages, culinary landscapes, food-growing and food-buying environments that collectively spice the food eaten and enjoyed by individuals and groups in the country. Food is sustenance, an access point, a historical and cultural marker and so much more. Thinking Through Food in South Africa: Identities, Embodiment and Representation explores the ways in which individuals define themselves and their role in society through food. This includes its role in school-based historical curriculum, alternative food networks, community-supported agriculture, intergenerational rituals and exchanges and its influence on economics, politics, migration and social cohesion. More than a study of ingredients, this book holds and guides a multi-layered conversation about food as home, practice and community
Thinking Through Food in South Africa: Identities, Embodiment and Representation
Full text linkWhen we sit at individual or communal tables, we consider each other and our senses before taking a single bite. We think about what brought us to the table, who we are eating with, what meal will be served and possibly even where the food is from. South Africa is home to diverse cultures, histories, food heritages, culinary landscapes, food-growing and food-buying environments that collectively spice the food eaten and enjoyed by individuals and groups in the country. Food is sustenance, an access point, a historical and cultural marker and so much more. Thinking Through Food in South Africa: Identities, Embodiment and Representation explores the ways in which individuals define themselves and their role in society through food. This includes its role in school-based historical curriculum, alternative food networks, community-supported agriculture, intergenerational rituals and exchanges and its influence on economics, politics, migration and social cohesion. More than a study of ingredients, this book holds and guides a multi-layered conversation about food as home, practice and community
Umalusi (The Shepherd)
Full text linkIn Xhosa, a shepherd is Umalusi. As imagined in this poetry collection, shepherds mind their charges. Furthermore, communication connects people. Speech and writing are material expressions of experiences, thoughts, dreams, fears, aspirations, and wonders. With the diversity of languages in South Africa, access to people’s experiences and thoughts is often limited and constrained through one’s command of language, spoken and written. As a result, there can be hurdles to connecting with one another. Language can divide, separate, and alienate us from one another. Consequently, a shepherd’s responsibilities in this context are multifold.
The poems collected in Umalusi were conceived and written in Xhosa because my mother, the central subject of the collection, is a Xhosa woman and spoke Xhosa to me throughout my life with her. This is how I learned the language without formal instruction in school. Through writing the poems in Xhosa, I gift the original giver her treasures in return. In essence, Umalusi is an amalgamation of my formal learning to read and write Afrikaans and English in school and my mother’s tuition by immersing me in the culture and traditions of her people
I See You: A Photo Album of People with Intellectual Disability
Full text linkThe casebook for the Institute for Imbecile Children, and the casebooks of the Grahamstown Lunatic Asylum constitutes one of South Africa’s largest archived records for people with intellectual disability (PWID) who were institutionalised from 1890 to 1920. In I See You I testify how the viewing of the casebooks’ content and photographs gave rise to a personal recognition of the personhood of the PWID. My testimony takes the form of poetry that is composed to honour and memorialise each individual person who is included in this album.
Rory du Plessis is a Senior Lecturer in Visual Studies at the School of the Arts, University of Pretoria. He is a NRF-rated scholar, the co-editor of the academic journal, Image & Text, and author of Pathways of Patients at the Grahamstown Lunatic Asylum, 1890 to 1907 (Pretoria University Law Press 2020)
Archives of COVID-19: UP Recollections and Reflections
Full text linkThe global COVID-19 pandemic brought swift and profound changes to South Africa, including the University of Pretoria. The University of Pretoria Archives documented the institution\u27s response, collecting official announcements and responses while also recognizing the need to preserve personal perspectives. Under the leadership of Prof Karen Harris, the UP Archives launched three competitions over three years. The first competition, launched in 2020, was the #UPStaySafe photographic competition. The second was launched in 2021, “Recollecting Covid-19: 365 days in lockdown”, and included a range of essays, photographs and poetry. The third competition was launched in 2022 to capture the reflections of students and staff on the theme “Loss, pause and hope”. The collection captured here serves to preserve the COVID-19 experience and serves as a tribute to those who have faced adversity during these challenging times
Thetha Sizwe: Contemporary South African Debates on African Languages and the Politics of Gender and Sexualities
Full text linkThetha Sizwe invites readers to rethink and reimagine the play of power, firmly rooted in the triad of African languages, genders and sexualities. ‘Thetha Sizwe’, loosely interpreted as ‘let your voice be heard’, opens up spaces for fresh and active debate and discussion that inform the complexities and contestations of language. As a linguistic injunction, ‘thetha sizwe’ is not purely a communicative plea but directs the reader (and listener) to the politics of voice, silence, and indeed, the capacity to hear and listen.
The volume explores and problematises contemporary and current debates that shape African languages and literature by investigating assumptions and received notions, with deliberate attention to breaking out of dominant models that pose limits on further debate. The rich assembly of essays provide provocative and nuanced engagements with questions of morphology, syntax, and the meanings of prescribed texts for secondary schools. All arguments unequivocally coalesce around the politics of African languages in the context of feminist and gendered epistemologies and decolonial humanities. Arising out of this engagement is a volume that spotlights local (and some continental languages) as crucial to global shifts in decolonial struggles that aim to re-imagine new worlds
Fiction and Fable: Tales of Time-Series
Full text linkEmbark on a captivating journey through the enchanting world of time-series analyses with Fiction and Fable: Tales of Time-Series. This extraordinary collection of short stories, penned by undergraduate students from the prestigious Department of Statistics at the University of Pretoria, brings to life the fascinating concepts taught in the time-series analysis syllabus. What began as a mere optional assignment evolved into a remarkable book of stories that blend the realms of creativity and statistics. Stories such as The Shepherd and the Wolf or The Tale of the ARMA Warriors transport readers to the moments of comfort and delight that fables and fairytales hold for all. The fusion of imagination and analytical thinking invites readers to explore a magical realm where mathematical models intertwine with storytelling. Join us on a literary adventure where Fiction and Fable meet the captivating world of time-series, proving that the magic of storytelling knows no bounds
Fiction and Fable: Tales of Time-Series
Full text linkEmbark on a captivating journey through the enchanting world of time-series analyses with Fiction and Fable: Tales of Time-Series. This extraordinary collection of short stories, penned by undergraduate students from the prestigious Department of Statistics at the University of Pretoria, brings to life the fascinating concepts taught in the time-series analysis syllabus. What began as a mere optional assignment evolved into a remarkable book of stories that blend the realms of creativity and statistics. Stories such as The Shepherd and the Wolf or The Tale of the ARMA Warriors transport readers to the moments of comfort and delight that fables and fairytales hold for all. The fusion of imagination and analytical thinking invites readers to explore a magical realm where mathematical models intertwine with storytelling. Join us on a literary adventure where Fiction and Fable meet the captivating world of time-series, proving that the magic of storytelling knows no bounds
Does Distance Education in the Developing Context Need More Research? Building Practice into Theory (Volume Two)
Full text linkThis book focuses on distance education research, a dire need in the field, especially in Africa and other developing contexts. \u27Distance education\u27 in this book has been used as an umbrella term for any form of education in which there is a separation between the teacher and the learner, which necessitates the use of media. The authors from a range of African countries and international experts who have had a stint of their career in developing contexts, borrowing from their wealth of experience, discuss research trends in distance education in their milieu, identifying the gaps and how this mode of delivery can be strengthened. By so doing, their passion for quality which has been a major area of concern in the field was brought to the fore. They have reiterated the fact that it is possible to enhance quality in this mode of delivery by not only conducting research but also applying its findings to theory, practice, and policy. The book is the second of two volumes.
Does Distance Education in the Developing Context Need More Research? Building Practice into Theory (Volume Two)
Full text linkThis book focuses on distance education research, a dire need in the field, especially in Africa and other developing contexts. \u27Distance education\u27 in this book has been used as an umbrella term for any form of education in which there is a separation between the teacher and the learner, which necessitates the use of media. The authors from a range of African countries and international experts who have had a stint of their career in developing contexts, borrowing from their wealth of experience, discuss research trends in distance education in their milieu, identifying the gaps and how this mode of delivery can be strengthened. By so doing, their passion for quality which has been a major area of concern in the field was brought to the fore. They have reiterated the fact that it is possible to enhance quality in this mode of delivery by not only conducting research but also applying its findings to theory, practice, and policy. The book is the second of two volumes.