Dr Bongani Nyoka recognised for insight into activist Archie Mafeje’s scholarly works

By Tandokazi Silosini, MA candidate in Political and International Studies

 

This year’s graduation was bursting with accolades and festivities as Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 held sit-down ceremonies on campus for the first time in two years. Among the honours was the conferral of the Vice-Chancellor’s Book Award to Political and International Studies Lecturer, Dr Bongani Nyoka.

This award was established to recognise the publication of books that bring credit to the 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网. The Vice-Chancellor’s Book Award Committee considers any text (including monographs, textbooks, novels, collections and popularisations) nominated by members of the 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 or applied for by the author(s) which has 1) been written or edited by a current member of staff at Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网, or a student, postdoctoral fellow, or an author formally affiliated with the 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 at the time of writing the book and 2) is considered to bring credit to the 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 because of the contribution it makes to scholarly literature, education, science or arts, and 3) has been published in the preceding four years.

This year the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation, Professor Peter Clayton, presented the award to Dr Nyoka for his book, The Social and Political Thought of Archie Mafeje; A Pan-African social scientist ahead of his time. Dr Nyoka is a lecturer in the Department of Political and International Studies at Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 and a Senior Research fellow at the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study, 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 of Johannesburg.

Indeed, Dr Nyoka’s work is an excellent engagement with the intellectual life of the great South African thinker and activist Archie Mafeje.

Renowned Sociologist and DSI/NRF SARChI Chair in Social Policy Professor Jimi Adesina praised Dr Nyoka’s work as a significant contribution to scholarship and the African archive. In his review of the book, he comments, “At a time when ‘decolonisation’ of knowledge is stranded at the level of protest scholarship, Nyoka’s scholarly interrogation of Mafeje’s oeuvre is a welcome departure”.