Change the world
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Masters’ candidate in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Nelson Mandela University. Her BA honours focused on the impacts of Austerity measures applied by the government from a feminist perspective. Research Assistant in the NIHSS maternal legacies of knowledge project. SCSF course intern. She holds an undergraduate qualification obtained at the University of the Western Cape. Her research interests include feminist research mainly maternal lineages.
Johannes’ research interests are in the field of extremist studies, particularly far-right extremism here in South Africa through the use of methods such as content analysis and social network analysis.
Zizipho holds a BA degree from the University of Western Cape and a BA Honours from Nelson Mandela University. Her research interests are in language and social justice. Zizipho’s Honours research project was on how language affects access to health care. Currently, the Masters research she is working on explores court interpreting and social justice. Zizipho is questioning how language and communication challenges that court interpreters face during court proceedings, affect the outcomes of justice. Her overall research interests are on social justice, sociology of health and gender studies.
Zanele Dyalivane is a first-year masters student at Nelson Mandela University. She completed her undergraduate BA degree in psychology and Sociology and a BA honours degree in Sociology from Nelson Mandela University. Her BA honours research paper focused on exploring Black female academics experiences of gender inequality and the copying strategies they use at South African Universities. Zanele`s research interests is widely focused on human rights, gender as well as labour studies.
Mary is a BA degree in Development studies and Journalism (double major) from Monash South Africa, and a BA Honors in Sociology from Nelson Mandela University. Her research interests are in matters of the society we currently live in. Mary’s honors research project was on effects of social media on youth’s mental health in Malawi. Regarding her master’s project, her research is investigating the influx of street children in Malawi.
Siyabulela earned a Bachelor of Administration and BA Honours from Nelson Mandela University. For his honours project, he focused on developing community-based systems of education and training that were targeted to the unemployed youth, including the elderly, to give them job-ready skills to participate in the economy. Currently, he is pursuing a Masters degree exploring the impact of COVID-19 on Churches. His broader research interests are influenced by the work he has done and actively doing in the following areas: transformation in education, Youth and community studies, and sociology of health.
The primary focus of Katlego’s study is to explore lived experiences of individuals affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs), specifically focusing on HIV. Through this investigation, he endeavours to provide a nuanced understanding of how people living with HIV (PLHIV) navigate various aspects of their lives, including their STI status, disclosure practices, coping strategies, physical and mental health, interpersonal relationships, and identity development within the framework of STIs. By shedding light on these multifaceted dimensions, my research aims to challenge prevailing societal narratives surrounding STIs and HIV co-infection. I seek to contribute to healthcare by offering insights that can inform more effective interventions and support systems for individuals living with STIs, particularly HIV.
Mr Hlongwa’s research focus is on social inequality and environmental sociology. He envisages to study the intersection of gender, environment, and development in South Africa, focusing on how gender inequalities shape access to natural resources, participation in environmental decision-making, and vulnerability to environmental risks. The area of focus will be the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality.
Ms Kunene’s research is primarily centred within the field of Agricultural Anthropology, with a specific focus on investigating the relationship between humans and livestock within informal settlements.
Ms Mhlahlela’s research interests are in Ocean Culture and Heritage, specifically examining the utilization of the ocean by traditional health practitioners for their rituals and practices.
Luvhengo is from a small village in Limpopo, Venda called Malavuwe. She did both her undergraduate and postgraduate in Nelson Mandela University. Her area of interests lies with culture and how it influences women. More specifically, freedom of women when it comes to their reproduction and bodies. In her current study, Luvhengo is investigating the influence social values, religion and culture have on perceptions towards unwanted pregnancies and termination of pregnancies. There is a lot of stigma towards women who want to terminate their pregnancies. This study looks to research the reason men and women are for or against the termination of pregnancy and whether they are influenced by their beliefs and why they impose those beliefs on the women seeking to terminate their pregnancy.