Human and Social Dynamics (HSD)Research Seminar

Pre-World Social Sciences Forum Event

Hosted by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in collaboration with the College of Humanities,University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)

Terrorism, new militarisms and human rights – transdisciplinary approaches

The event is part of the Human and Social Dynamics (HSD) Research Seminar series facilitated by the Human Science Research Council (HSRC) to showcase contemporary social sciences and humanities research in South Africa. The series seeks to provide a platform for learning about cutting-edge research in the social sciences and humanities and to help identify new directions for research agendas pertinent to the Department of Science and Technology’s Human and Social Dynamics in Development Grand Challenge (HSDD GC). The seminar is moreover aligned with and feeds into the eminent 2015 World Social Sciences Forum (WSSF), organised by a consortium of African partners led by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), and the College of Humanities at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, which will be held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Durban from 13-16 September 2015. This international event is focused on the interdisciplinary and comparative interrogation of the theme ‘Transforming Global Relations for a Just World’. This entails key areas of concern such as global inequalities pertaining to governance, patterns of production and consumption, cultural exchanges, quality health and education, climate change and adaptation, and human rights and social justice. The WSSF will bring together academic researchers, NGOs, policy makers, social activists, and a host of other stakeholders in the social sciences and cognate disciplines.

The Research Seminar is envisaged as a pre-conference event that brings together highly respected national and international experts, postgraduate students and members of staff from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and five other universities in KZN and the Eastern Cape, namely, Fort Hare, Rhodes University, Durban University of Technology and the University of Zululand.

The theme of the seminar ‘Terrorism, new militarisms and human rights – transdisciplinary approaches’is highly topical, addresses one of the WSSF’s key areas of concern and cuts across many disciplines within the Humanities and Social Sciences. Discussions on Terrorism and new militarism at the seminar will includeamong others, terrorist and counter terrorist attacks,state sponsored terrorism,terrorism against civilians, state violence against nascent popular democracy movements, human rights violations,etc.

Aims of the seminar

  • To draw attention to the WSSF and its core theme and expand the WSSF’s impact, given the event’s exclusivity and limitations of access;
  • To provide an avenue for academic researchers and especially postgraduate students, including those from rural-based universities, to engage in discussions and exchange knowledge across disciplinary and institutional boundaries;
  • To present and discuss new and ongoing researchand suggest new research agendas in SSH with a view of forging closer links between the research communities in these fields;
  • To disseminate research findings and transmit a body of new knowledge through interactive dialogue between top level experts in the field, academics, postgraduate students and members of civil society;
  • To promote interdisciplinary research and enhance wider public understanding of and interest in the Social Sciences, including the value and status of both individual and team-based research;
  • To facilitate networking, the exchange of information and an exhibition of scholarly materials and publications.

Outcomes

The seminar outcomes will include trans-disciplinary knowledge production in key areas related to the WSSF conference themes with regard to methodology, theory, epistemologies, and trends. New research niches will be identified, which can inform academic research and the development of postgraduate and applied research proposals. An edited publication will be produced on the basis of the formal presentations and summaries of the deliberations. It is also envisaged that the deliberations will spawn research-based publications in accredited journals by academic staff and postgraduate participants.

PROGRAMME

Terrorism, new militarisms and human rights – transdisciplinary approaches

Date: Friday, 11 September 2015

Venue: Garden Court, Marine Parade, Durban

Chair:Prof. Pholoho Morojele, Academic Leader Research: School of Education, UKZN

Rapporteur:Dr Stephen Rule, Outsourced Insight Cc

08:00 - 09:00Registration, Tea & Coffee

09:00 – 09:30Introduction

09:00 – 09:30Welcome & Opening Remarks

Dr Temba Masilela, Deputy CEO: Research, HSRC, Prof Cheryl Potgieter, DVC College of Humanities and Prof Stephen Mutula, Dean: School of Social Sciences, UKZN

09:30 – 11:00Session 1

09:30 –10:00Is professional education in the social sciences and humanities obsolete

in a transdisciplinary world?

Dr Prudence W. Dalrymple, Drexel University, Philadelphia PA, USA

Are the social sciences and the humanities obsolete in a world in which the rise of terrorism and military uprisings threaten the social contract? The need for access to reliable, accurate information and communication has never been greater, yet forces in today’s world make meeting that need ever more difficult. The availability, security and integrity of data, information and knowledge are essential in helping citizens pursue personal and social well-being as they cope with a world that is undergoing radical—even violent--disruption. How can universities educate the next generation of professional workers—especially those that are data intensive--in ways that will equip them to contribute to improved social conditions? What are the compelling research questions that must be addressed at the intersection of social policy, the information sciences and the humanities? As we anticipate the impending convergence of traditional, discipline-based education with professional preparation, we must create new models of transdisciplinary education that are accessible to all members of society. But we need to balance the competing demands of professional jurisdiction and de-centralized educational delivery systems. The speaker will examine the ways in which the current structure of the traditional professions is being affected by transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to education. She will suggest that theoretical frameworks derived from the social sciences, as well as the value structures embedded in the humanities will take on new importance as the professions struggle to re-think the nature of the “work” they perform for society. Using examples drawn from information and library science and health informatics, she will describe the steps that professional accreditation programs are taking to assure the professional workforce has the capacity and skills to able to meet society’s evolving needs. If time permits, she will also address how collaborative research and community engagement projects can contribute to international collaboration to can help address social, economic and technological disparities in both developed and developing nations.

10:00 – 11:00 Q & A

11:00 – 11:15Tea break

11:15 – 12:45Session 2

11:15 – 11:45A terrorism to end all terrorisms and catalyse new ones?

Mr Na'eem Jeenah, Afro-Middle East Centre

This paper will look at a few selected cases of state responses to what these states have called ‘terrorism’, and examine whether, in their responses, these entities have not themselves become guilty of engaging in acts of terror. These responses – particularly after ‘9/11’ - have included legislative instruments, wars, counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency measures that have, together, legitimised various forms of violence that should, under international law and human rights conventions, be outlawed. Torture, drone strikes against civilians, widespread violations of basic freedoms and human rights – including that of the citizens of these states, as well as the broadening of a surveillance culture globally have been the result of this ‘war on terror’. These responses have helped catalyse or strengthen other extremist groups, entrenching a cycle of violence whose victims, ultimately, are citizens of various countries – including the countries at the forefront of ‘the war on terror’.

11:45 – 12:45Q & A

12:45 – 13:45LUNCH

13:45 – 14:45Session 3

13:45 – 14:15Insurgencies in the 21st Century: Asymmetrical Warfare or Terrorism?

Mr Vasu Gounden, The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD)

Mr Vasu Gounden’s presentation will examine the dynamics and consequences of insurgencies in the 21st century. Over the course of the presentation, Mr Gounden will identify key trends behind insurgent movements both on the African continent and globally, engage the underlying forces that contribute to their emergence and proliferation, distinguish between their different manifestations throughout the world, and address their impacts across a number of political, socio-economic, and developmental spheres. Mr Gounden will then juxtapose this analysis against an overview of key trends shaping the evolution of human societies including among others, widespread demographic, technological, political and economic shifts. Mr Gounden will assert that this creates an unprecedented environment of convergence and complexity. The presentation will then explore how the interrelated challenges of convergence and complexity will accelerate the proliferation of insurgencies on the continent and globally, while challenging the foundations of existing political and military-based solutions. Drawing on his over twenty-three years of experience in conflict management, Mr Gounden will then offer considerations on possible approaches to bring about both immediate and long-term solutions to the challenges emanating from insurgencies. Throughout the presentation, Mr Gounden will draw upon the question of ‘what constitutes terrorism?’ and provide a critical reflection of how socio-political contexts determine how stakeholders identify, engage, and respond to insurgent movements.

14:15 – 14:45Q & A

14:45 – 15:00Session 4

14:45 – 14:55The way ahead

Prof N.Mkhize, UKZN

14:55 – 15:00Vote of thanks and closure

Prof Betty Mubangisi, UKZN

------Departure ------

Biosketches

DrPrudence Dalrymple

Dr Prudence Dalrymple is Research and Teaching Professor at the College of Computing & Informatics and Director of the interdisciplinary Institute for Health Informatics at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She holds a PhD in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MS in Library Science from Simmons College, and an MS in Health Sciences Informatics from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She has been at Drexel since 2008. She has over 35 years’ experience as a medical librarian, administrator, instructor, and academic researcher and was on the faculty of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and Dean of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Dominican University in Chicago, Illinois. She directed the American Library Association’s Office for Accreditation from 1992 to 1997.

As part of her interest in determining how information use affects health outcomes, she has conducted research on health literacy and information seeking behaviour, the use of evidence-based guidelines by health professionals, and the potential for text messages to improve health literacy of the urban poor. As Director of the Drexel’s master’s program in health informatics, Dr. Dalrymple continues her interest and involvement in professional education and accreditation. She sits on the Board of the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Health Information Management. In 2014, Dr. Dalrymple was elected a Fellow of the Medical Library Association (MLA) for her sustained and outstanding contributions to health sciences librarianship. She is the author of over 65 articles and book chapters and is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences, including the Association for Information Science & Technology, the American Library Association, the American Medical Informatics Association and the International Federation of Library Associations.

Mr Vasu Gounden

Vasu Gounden is the Founder and Executive Director of the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD). In the 1980’s, Vasu was an anti-apartheid leader and a human rights lawyer. In 1990 he graduated, under a Fulbright scholarship, with a Masters degree in Law from Georgetown University in Washington DC specializing in conflict management. In 1992 he established ACCORD which is today the largest conflict management organisation in Africa and is globally recognized as one of the leading players in conflict management. Vasu has spent the last twenty three years preparing conflicting parties across Africa for negotiations, including rebel groups in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He has provided mediation support to the facilitators of the Burundi Peace Process, which included Nelson Mandela, and he has served as an advisor on strategy to former President Ketumile Masire (Botswana) on the Inter-Congolese Dialogue Peace Process. Mr. Gounden has been involved in contributing to the resolution of several conflicts around the world including Somalia, South Sudan, Madagascar, Palestine, and Sri Lanka. Vasu is a global advocate for peace and travels extensively around the world, delivering speeches on peace and conflict management. He also serves on the Boards of several institutions across the world involved in conflict management. He has addressed the United Nations Security Council on matters relating to conflict management and has been elected by the World Economic Forum as one of their Global Leaders for Tomorrow (GLT).

Mr Na’eem Jeenah

Na’eem Jeenah is the Executive Director of the Afro-Middle East Centre, a research institute based in Johannesburg, South Africa that focuses on the Middle East and Africa. He has an MA in Religious Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand, and is currently reading for his PhD in Political Studies. Na’eem taught political science at the University of the Witwatersrand. He co-authored (with Shamima Shaikh) Journey of discovery: A South African Hajj (2002). His recent publications include: Pretending democracy: Israel, an ethnocratic state (2012) and (co-edited) The PLO: Critical appraisals from the inside (2014). Na’eem is a sought after commentator on a range of issues regarding, especially, the Middle East and North Africa

Dr Temba Masilela

Temba Sipho B. Masilela, has been the Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Research at the Human Science Research Council (HSRC) since November 2010 and is directly responsible for research strategy, research management and the knowledge-policy interfaces of the HSRC. His wide-ranging research interests revolve around issues of knowledge, policy, and power and before joining the HSRC in July 2006, he worked for a number of years as a Special Adviser to the Minister of Social Development in the government of South Africa. He has also been an Associate Fellow of the Department of Social Policy and Intervention at the University of Oxford, UK, and a Research Fellow at the Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi, Kenya. He has also worked in the areas of corporate citizenship and reputation management, in both commercial (Telkom SA Ltd) and academic settings (Centre for Corporate Citizenship, University of South Africa), and has cross media experience, having work in both the print and telecommunications industries. He has more than 25 years of research and policy management experience and his most recent publication is a chapter entitled: “From the RDP to the National Development Plan: The mirage of a super ministry” in the State of the Nation 2013-14. Temba holds PhD and MA degrees in communication for development from the University of Iowa, USA; and a BA degree in economics and politics from the University of Nairobi, Kenya.

Professor Pholoho Morojele

Pholoho Morojele is an Associate Professor in the College of Humanities: School of Education. Professor Morojele was awarded Prolific Researcher recognition at University of KwaZulu-Natal consecutively in 2012 and 2013 based on his excellent research publication record. In 2013, the young professor had managed to maintain his status as an emerging researcher for 5 years since 2009, and he was also awarded a prestigious Top 30 researcher award at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He is a Commonwealth scholar and studied as part of his PhD at the Institute of Education, University of London. He has published both nationally and internationally and has attended many conferences where he presented various papers including keynote addresses. Professor Morojele was born in Lesotho; and he grew up and schooled in rural Lesotho schools. His research interests and publications are in the areas of gender, children’s geographies and social justice in education. Professor Morojele’s astute leadership and academic achievements are recognized amongst his peers, and through his rich experience was appointed as Academic Leader: Research & Higher Degrees in the School of Education.

ProfessorStephen Mutula

Prof Mutula is the Dean and Head: School of Social Sciences at the University of KwaZulu Natal. In his academic career he has taught at various universities in East and Southern Africa including the University of KwaZulu Natal (current affiliation), University of Botswana, the University of Nairobi, United States International University (Nairobi), Moi University, Strathmore University, and Kenyatta University.

Prof. Mutula’s research interests lie in the areas of ICT4D, information poverty/digital divide, e-government, information ethics, information society and social media. He has over 100 seminal presentations and has published extensively, including over 100 peer referred journal articles, 23 chapters in books, 3 books (+1 co-edited book), 31 papers in conference proceedings, and 11 editorials and book reviews. His publications are highly cited in Google Scholar and Web of Science journals. His current h-index, which is the measure of both the productivity and citation impact of the published body of work of a scientist or scholar based on the set of the scientist's most cited papers, currently stands at 20. His publications to date have been cited 1230 times in Google scholar. In addition, he is a rated researcher by South African National Research Foundation (NRF).

Prof Mutula has won several international scholarly excellence awards for his contribution to scholarship. For example, he was the recipient of Rafael Fiek Foundation Award (Germany) for promoting information ethics in Africa in 2012. He is recipient of the University of Botswana Researcher of the Year Award for two successive years - 2007 and 2008 respectively. He was also a recipient of IFLA excellence award for information literacy in 2007. Further he is a recipient of several scholarly excellence awards from Literati Club UK.