Brief comments and reflections on Prof Andre Keet’s presentation
“Refractions: social theory, human rights and philosophy”, at UJ (Faculty of
Education, Post-Graduate Centre & SOTL seminar) on 21 May 2015.
I had the privilege to ‘interview’ Andre during 2002, exploring
the relation between social cohesion and human rights education when he was still
at the SAHRC and busy with his doctoral study.
I have been following his publications since then around these topics
and was very delighted to be able to attend this opportunity to hear him for
the first time in a formal presentation.
He started his presentation by introducing the UFS Institute
for Reconciliation and Social Justice where he is the Director since 2011, and presented
the various themes, research areas and also mentioned the start of an
interdisciplinary Master’s programme in Social Cohesion as of 2015. For more details: http://institute.ufs.ac.za
Andre reminded us about shared
vulnerabilities on a social-economic grid; to continue the search for different possibilities of knowledge
formation and transformation around themes of social cohesion, reconstruction
and social justice, human rights etc., instead of just critiquing for the sake
of it and to be able to do things differently as prescribed by the master narratives
(e.g. capitalism & human rights).
He highlighted that any knowledge can be presented as transformative in the current curriculum
by exploring for example its possible power base, privilege and hegemonic
relations.
Andre also
encouraged research on for example, the nature and function of Research Ethics Committees,
who serve on it, what gets approved or not and why.
As his
presentation is only the beginning of an ongoing series to develop dialogue around
various themes, I am indeed looking forward attending them and reading
the various articles he revered to in his talk when available, in particular to
read more about the six sets of integrated economics, i.e.: material (benefits,
rewards, reproduction of academic privileges), administrative (regulating
powers, access, rules), socio-cultural (beliefs, customs), effective (job
security, anxieties, fears, anger, AA), intellectual (access to games and
rules), and politics (competing ideologies) in Higher Education.
Being at UJ for two and a half years now (as part of a 3yr contract), this has
been the first seminar that was truly represented by people from many different
departments and faculties!
Marlene de Beer (Social Work)
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