Nadar, Sarojini. Gender, Genocide, Gaza and the Book of Esther: Engaging Texts of Terror(ism). Oxon: Routledge, 2025.

N/

Confronting Xenophobia and the Long Shadow of Colonialism

I write in response to suddenly finding myself in a storm of publicity over anti-foreigner groups who blockade entries to health facilities and demand the production of South African IDs. I raise questions about how we came to face such a development and what an effective response should be. The public health system of South Africa is in a state of disarray; there is chronic under-staffing of medical staff (South African Medical Association, 2025). Corruption is rampant and brazen (Rispel, 2016), stripping huge sums from the system; attempts to expose corruption at Tembisa Hospital in 2021 led to the assassination of the whistle-blower. Failures in management and leadership are widespread (Centre for Health Policy, 2016). Service to the public is thus impaired, but, despite these manifest failures, anger is seldom directed against those responsible, instead being targeted at vulnerable members of society

Between Kinship and Individualism: Reimagining Communality inKenyatta University Christian Union

This study examines how communality is being reimagined within university Christian student organizations, focusing on the Kenyatta University Christian Union (KUCU). Against the backdrop of rapid technological change and shifting generational values, it explores how KUCU navigates the tension between traditional African communal philosophies and contemporary individualism. Historically, African societies fostered deep daily connections rooted in shared language, culture, and religion. In contrast, KUCU operates within a diverse academic environment, where students differ in ethnicity, faith, and discipline. Using Optimal Distinctiveness Theory (ODT), which balances the human need for belonging and uniqueness, the study investigates KUCU’s strategies for cultivating solidarity and inclusion. Employing ethnographic methods, including interviews, observations, and focus groups, it addresses three core questions: How does KUCU foster communality? What integrative practices support its diverse membership? And how does it draw from African communal traditions? The findings argue that communality within KUCU is dynamic and adaptive, reflecting a postmodern model of integration where individuality and collective identity are continuously negotiated

Reflections on a Discipline-Based Recreational “Game Day” for Chemical Engineering Students: A Qualitative Case Study on Wellbeing and Learning

In response to student requests for stress-relief opportunities, a discipline-specific “Game Day” was piloted in 2022 by the Chemical Engineering Student Association (CESA) at a major contact South African university. Facilitated by staff representatives, the event provided a relaxed environment for undergraduate students to engage in recreational activities, foster peer connections, and unwind from academic pressures. This article presents a reflective case study of the Game Day, applying the structured Gibbs reflective model by the current and former CESA Representatives. Without formal outcome measures, insights of the Game Day intervention were derived from firsthand observations and informal student feedback. The reflections suggest that such low-cost, student-led initiatives may create an enhanced sense of inclusion, motivation, and community, contributing to the informal development of teamwork and social support networks. A seven-step action research framework is proposed to guide the adaptation and implementation of similar recreational interventions in other academic departments

Challenges and Prospects of Deploying AI and Machine Learning for Clinical Diagnosis in African Healthcare

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and robotics into clinical diagnosis has become prevalent. For example, ML-driven image recognition has demonstrated remarkable efficacy, prompting clinicians to rely increasingly on these technologies for “accurate” medical diagnoses and prognoses of diseases. Although these advancements have exhibited their relevance and effectiveness in medically advanced regions of the Global North and selected areas in the Global South, the question arises as to their viability within the healthcare landscape of Africa, given contextual variations. In this paper, I delve into the potential efficiency of deploying these technologies within African healthcare, aiming to address these contextual concerns. Employing a phenomenological methodology, I demonstrate that the deployment of these technologies might inadvertently introduce biases anddiscrimination against Africans. This stems from the inherent nature of the data used to develop these technologies, primarily sourced from healthcare experiences in designing nations, coupled with the pervasive algorithmic biases prevalent in contemporary ML systems. I call for a paradigm shift in AI and ML development. I propose that African nations should proactively engage in the design of healthcare AI and ML technologies that are attuned to distinct African conditions, prevalent medical conditions, and prognostic methodologies. Key prerequisites include the establishment of robust infrastructure for efficient data collection and storage of electronic healthcare records and capturing the intricacies of day-to-day healthcare encounters across the African continent.&nbsp

Strategic Curriculum Redesign: A Triad Approach with Action-Mapping, Design Thinking, and Change Management

As new academics within a university’s CTL unit, we were assigned to teach the core module (Foundations) for the Certificate of Teaching in Higher Education. Recognizing that the existing course fell short of desired standards, consistency, and rigor, we initiated a deliberate process of improvement. In this practice paper, we present a single case study that demonstrates how the fusion of action mapping and design thinking facilitated change management, ultimately leading to a redesigned Certificate. Our approach leveraged Cathy Moore’s action-mapping model, which proved transformative. By combining it with Design Thinking principles, we created a structured, learner-centric framework for curriculum design - one that fosters active and engaging learning experiences. At its core, action-mapping involves identifying performance-based objectives, designing relevant activities, and integrating formative feedback. Throughout this process, we navigated the challenges of change management - consulting stakeholders, addressing resistance, and ensuring buy-in from faculty. The redesign process yielded a revised Foundations module (focused on didactics), an additional core module (Learning by Design, emphasizing pedagogy), and a completely revamped Certificate. This creative and sometimes ‘messy’ process aligned curriculum design with the practical challenges faced by lecturers, leading us as curriculum designers on an enriching journey of self-discovery. The implications of this integrated approach go beyond this case study and offer guidelines and a framework that can be adopted by other higher education institutions to navigate curriculum redesign. The alignment of performance outcomes, design empathy, and strategic change management principles facilitate curriculum innovation, particularly in response to evolving educational standards and student expectations

‘Living Rugged, Dying Brutal’: Understanding Gang Lifeworlds through Death

This study examined death rituals as a frame to understanding the meaning of life and the afterlife from the perspective of gang members, and how these meanings frame the violent sub-culture of gangs. Utilizing a case study analysis of the Iceland and Deebam gangs, the two leading gangs in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, we identified a collection of material and non-material deathrituals which are separately embedded in the ideological orientations as well as practical activities of both gangs. Our findings showed that the meaning of life and death is drawn from a belief system that holds a promise of ‘life after death’ or of ‘dead gang members having lasting feasts with their gods’. Such post-death privileges are believed to be a reward for gang loyalty often manifestedthrough the ‘ruggedity’ or ‘brutality’ of the deceased gang members while alive. This implies that upon demise, membership and social status of gang members transcend to the afterlife. We argued that it is these belief systems amongst gang members that frame the forms of death rituals that are usually characterized by swearing by the gods, promise of revenge and other forms of rugged or brutal show of violence that incentivizes/sustains the violent sub-culture and precarity of the gang life

Issuing Justice: Women Ulama, Fatwas, and the Ratification of Indonesia’s Sexual Violence Crime Bill

The ratification of the Sexual Violence Crime Bill in May 2022 reflects the collective efforts of diverse actors advocating for gender justice in Indonesia, including women ulama from the Congress of Indonesian Women Ulama (Kongres Ulama Perempuan Indonesia/KUPI). Central to this achievement is the KUPI’s pioneering 2017 fatwa condemning sexual violence, which empowered women ulama to mobilize support for the bill. This article explores how KUPI’s fatwa galvanized support for the Bill, helped to overcome resistance, and built lasting coalitions, thereby drawing attention to the overlooked role of women in issuing fatwas and in navigating and reshaping traditional religious frameworks to address gender-based violence. Using qualitative methods—including online observation, textual analysis, and interviews—I examine how women ulama challenge patriarchal interpretations of Islamic law and assert their authority in public religious discourse. I argue that, in social movements, fatwas can serve as internal innovations that offer shared moral guidance, unite actors, and act as mobilizing tools to drive policy change. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of female religious authority in Islamic jurisprudence and highlights shifting gender dynamics in contemporary Muslim societies, with a specific focus on Indonesia

The Future of the Study of Religions in Africa: Decolonial-Pluriversal Directions

There is a theoretically intractable argument about what we might mean by ‘Africa’. The origin and knowledge about ‘Africa’ as an identifier or a construct have continued to dictate the agenda for Africa, religions in Africa, and African Studies in Africa and the diaspora. Although ‘religions in Africa’ are receiving profound empirical and methodological attention, this article argues that they have continued to be approached from the theoretical question of what Africa might mean. It further states that the three main religions in Africa—African Indigenous Religion, Christianity, and Islam—are locked in this theoretical hole, but scholars have continued to navigate the threshold through thematic studies dictated by the names of the continent. It concludes by stating that the study of religions in Africa, though complexified, both now and in the past, will still follow the trajectories dictated outside Africa. But the article also suggests that a decolonial-pluriversal approach could help to appreciate the African worldviews in tension with other worldviews