28th SASA Conference Underway at KwaDlangezwa Campus

The University of Zululand (UNIZULU) is hosting the 28th South African Sociological Association (SASA) conference. The event, which will be held for three days, commenced on Wednesday, 5 July and will end on Friday, 7 July 2023 at the KwaDlangezwa Campus.

In 1993, members of South Africa’s sociological community from various ethnic groups got together to create a new joint organisation. The Suid-Afrikaanse Sosiologie Vereniging and the previous Association for Sociologists in Southern Africa were combined to become the newly formed South African Sociological Association. The purpose of the SASA conferences is to promote the discipline and the profession of sociology, promote research, teaching and debate about society as well as promote cooperation at the national, regional and international level among persons engaged in the study of society.

The 2023 conference is taking place in a hybrid format with a combination of virtual and face-to-face presentations under the theme “Sociologies from the Global South and Beyond: Teaching, Learning, Research and Social Engagement”.

Dr Sheetal Bhoola from UNIZULU’s Sociology Department said the event is bringing “valuable and analytical discourse that can ideally understand the challenges in South Africa and bring about possible measures to address the multiple challenges we face”.

The conference was officially opened by Professor Kevin Naidoo, Deputy Dean: Research and Innovation in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. He said, “I want to encourage all of you to take this opportunity to use this engagement as a steppingstone into something greater. You must own the space; you must be able to add value in the area of sociology.”

In her address, Chinwe Obuaku-Igwe, the president of SASA, emphasised: “It is now time for every sociologist in the Global South and South Africa in particular to show respect for our own intellectual traditions by lending a voice and contributing to shaping and rethinking the character of the scientific knowledge that emanates from our context.”

SASA has a number of thematic working groups in which papers are usually presented. Due to this, the conference has parallel sessions where scholars from different universities are presenting their papers. The possibility of developing these thematic working groups into even more active research committees is being considered.  

• Nomvelo Xulu

Caption

SASA President Chinwe Obuaku-Igwe sharing a few words with attendees of the 28th SASA Conference held at UNIZULU’s KwaDlangezwa Campus.

Picture by: Samkele Sokhela