Campus announcements
Inaugural lecture by Professor Shaikh and other updates
23 August 2024Dear colleagues and students
The next lecture in the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Inaugural Lecture series will be presented by Professor Sa’diyya Shaikh on Friday, 23 August 2024. Read more about this and other recent developments on campus.
1. Inaugural lecture by Professor Sa’diyya Shaikh
Professor Shaikh will deliver her lecture titled “Radical Critical Fidelity: Barzakhi Journeys in Islamic Feminism” in Mafeje Room, Bremner Building, on lower campus at 17:30 SAST on Friday, 23 August 2024.
She is a professor of religious studies at UCT, specialising in Islam, gender ethics, and feminist theory, with a particular focus on Sufism. She is also the director of the Centre for Contemporary Islam at UCT. Her exploration of Islam was sparked by a deep interest in existential questions and a strong commitment to social justice. Curiosity about the interplay between the spiritual and political realms drives her work.
In her lecture, Professor Shaikh will trace key sources, epistemological concerns and theoretical explorations that have influenced her scholarship in Islamic feminism over the last two decades. Embracing metaphors of journeying and in-betweenness (the barzakh), she theorises Islamic feminism as a friendship with/in tradition characterised by a stance of ‘radical critical fidelity’.
The rest of the inaugural lectures scheduled for August will be presented by Professors Dizu Plaatjies on 28 August; and Ameeta Jaga on 29 August.
2. Submission of proposals to present at TLC 2024
The UCT community is invited to submit proposals to present at the 2024 UCT Teaching and Learning Conference (TLC 2024). The conference will be held in-person at the Neville Alexander Building, lower campus, on 20 and 21 November 2024.
Given UCT’s position in the Global South, with its complex history of colonialism and apartheid, presenters are invited to explore contemporary approaches to curriculum design. This includes integrating theories of social justice, feminism, decolonial thought, and indigenous knowledge systems to critically examine the university’s curricula. The challenge is to create and co-create curricula that effectively address both local and global needs.
Please register to attend the conference, regardless of whether you are submitting a proposal or not.
For any queries, please email the Centre for Innovation in Learning & Teaching team.
3. Reminder: Invitation to participate in anti-racism policy review
The UCT community is reminded to participate in the review of the Policy on Anti-Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Racial Harassment.
University members are invited to participate in several ways. They are encouraged to complete the electronic survey or choose from the following dates to attend a stakeholder engagement session: 19–23 August, and 26–30 August. They can also attend an open consultation session in the Mafeje Room, Bremner Building, from 09:00 to 11:00 on 10 September 2024.
4. Other important updates and reminders
As per the campus announcement issued on Wednesday, 21 August 2024, the UCT community is reminded of the following:
- Friday, 23 August 2024: Session on “Introduction to administration and organisation management” hosted by the UCT Lead Academy from 16:00 to 17:30 at CS203, Computer Science Building on upper campus.
- Friday, 23 August 2024: SRC nominations close.
- Saturday, 24 August 2024: Annual walk against gender-based violence and femicide, hosted in partnership with the Uyinene Mrwetyana Foundation, at 08:30 from 10 Darling Street.
- Friday, 30 August 2024: Faculty Council nominations close.
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