Humanities Indaba Cultivates Emerging Scholars

Twenty Early Career Scholars from the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s College of Humanities gathered on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast for a two-day research Indaba focused on strengthening their academic careers, advancing their research and building collaboration across disciplines.

The Indaba formed part of the College’s Early Career Scholars programme, an initiative that provides research funding, mentorship and structured academic support to emerging academics.

The programme was conceptualised by College leadership under the guidance of Professor Nhlanhla Mkhize, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Humanities as a way to nurture the next generation of researchers while strengthening research output within the College.

Mkhize stressed that the moment facing the country and the continent requires stronger investment in developing scholars who can respond to complex social, technological and political challenges.

“We are in a very difficult moment in South Africa whereby if we do not intensify the training of the next generation of scholars, especially in areas driven by knowledge and information technology, we are going to be in big trouble,” he said.

He noted that global developments increasingly demonstrate how nations depend on skilled researchers and the ability to harness large amounts of information.

“When everything is said and done, everything depends on the human being who is going to execute our plans and who is going to draft those plans for the nation…We are asking the Humanities and Social Sciences to develop our country so that we can have a thirty-year plan, a fifty-year plan, or even a hundred-year plan. We need to imagine the future in the next thirty to one hundred years. That is where the Humanities and Social Sciences come in. That is where our scholarship comes in,” he said.

Professor Nirmala Gopal, a co-leader of the initiative, articulated that the programme is strategically designed to facilitate the professional development of early-career academics by enhancing their research capabilities and academic profiles. We achieve this through a structured framework of mentorship and targeted support that fosters their growth in the academic landscape.

Gopal outlined the call process: “Following a call for applications, the College undertook a rigorous selection process to identify participants for the current cohort. About twenty scholars were selected from the College’s various disciplines.”

Each scholar was awarded 3 years of research funding to support research aligned with their specific academic interests.”

“Consequently, this 2-day Indaba serves as a platform for these scholars to present their preliminary findings and receive constructive feedback from mentors and peers. This collaborative forum seeks not only to encourage scholarly discourse but also to enhance the overall quality and impact of the research conducted under the auspices of the grants.

The presentation of research in progress constitutes a fundamental aspect of the programme’s methodology for fostering academic development. This process enables scholars to refine their projects, discern gaps in their analyses, and enhance the quality of their research outputs through constructive discourse and critical engagement with peers, Gopal further maintained.

For programme co-ordinators, these engagements also provide valuable insight into the scholars’ development.

The presentations help mentors identify research areas where scholars may require further guidance, while also recognising emerging areas of excellence within the group.

Another important element of the initiative is peer learning. Scholars participating in the programme come from a range of academic fields within the humanities, including, but not limited to, Education, Psychology, Languages, Political Science, Development Studies, and Criminology.

“Bringing the scholars together in a shared space allows participants to learn from one another and explore potential research collaborations across disciplinary boundaries.

The larger cohort we have greatly enhances our experience and fosters a vibrant environment of peer learning,” stated Gopal.

Gopal added that the group’s diversity not only deepens their discussions but also inspires scholars to leverage each other’s unique perspectives and experiences.

The programme itself began in mid-2025 when the selected scholars received their research awards. An induction retreat followed shortly afterwards, giving participants an opportunity to engage with the programme’s goals and expectations before beginning their research.

Many of the scholars started working actively on their research projects later in the year, making the March 2026 Indaba an important moment to review progress and provide feedback.

The initiative also includes a longer-term scholarly outcome. The research undertaken by the scholars will ultimately contribute to a collective academic book publication.

The College has already secured a reputable publisher for the project, and the current presentations form part of a gradual development process aimed at refining the work to meet the publisher’s academic standards.

Professor Hope Magidimisha Chipungu, who co-leads the programme with Gopal, said the initiative is intended to support scholars as they navigate the early stages of their academic careers and to encourage them to think carefully about the value and impact of their research. “We are directing them not to do research for the sake of research. We want them to do research that is meaningful, research that solves problems,” she said.

Beyond research development, the programme also recognises the pressures that early career academics often face as they balance teaching, research and personal responsibilities.

Hosting the Indaba away from campus was therefore a deliberate decision. The setting allowed scholars to step away from their daily responsibilities and focus on their research while engaging with colleagues in a more relaxed environment.

The programme also encourages scholars to build strong academic networks within the College, fostering collaboration and a sense of community among academics at similar stages of their careers.

In the longer term, the initiative aims to support scholars as they progress through the academic ranks, from junior lecturer to lecturer, from lecturer to senior lecturer and eventually to associate professor.

For the College of Humanities, the programme represents a strategic investment in its academic future. By combining research funding, mentorship and opportunities for collaboration, the initiative is helping to build a supportive environment in which emerging scholars can develop their research, plan upward career paths and grow into confident academic leaders.

Words: Lee Rondganger

Photograph: Sethu Dlamini