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The mission of this page is to enhance collaborations and activities, advancing and coordinating scholarship and research, and building vibrant academic communities in the fields of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS).

31/08/2026

Why are women still expected to prove their worth in spaces where they have already demonstrated their value?

In this last instalment of The Questions That Shape Tomorrow, we hear from Ms Nicola Critchfield of the Office of the CEO at the NIHSS.

She reflects on the realities many women continue to navigate in workplaces, institutions and communities: being present, qualified and experienced, yet still having to work harder to be heard, recognised and trusted.

Her contribution reminds us that representation alone is not enough. Meaningful empowerment also requires workplace cultures where women are respected, supported, given opportunities to grow, trusted to lead and safe enough to speak honestly, challenge ideas, make mistakes and still be valued.

For this Women’s Month, NIHSS is creating space for women across the humanities and social sciences to raise the questions that challenge us to think more critically about the environments we are creating for women today and for those who will come after them.

What must change so that women no longer have to repeatedly justify their place, but can contribute fully, confidently and with the recognition they have already earned?

Join the conversation and share your perspective below.

27/08/2026

What becomes possible when the knowledge, experience and potential of women are intentionally connected to opportunity?

In this instalment of The Questions That Shape Tomorrow, we hear from Ms Thandiwe Sechele, from the NIHSS, who reflects on leadership as something that extends beyond individual achievement to the opportunities we create for others.

She reminds us that meaningful progress rarely happens in isolation. Through mentorship, encouragement, relationships and opening doors for others, one woman’s opportunity can become a pathway for another.

For this Women’s Month, NIHSS is creating space for women across the humanities and social sciences to surface the questions that challenge us to think differently about leadership, opportunity and the future we are building together.

How do we create environments where women not only realise their own potential, but help unlock the potential of those coming after them?

Perhaps our greatest contribution is not simply how far we rise, but how much possibility we create along the way.

Join the conversation and share your perspective below.

24/08/2026

What do our monetary systems reveal about who and what society values most?

In this instalment of The Questions That Shape Tomorrow, we hear from Dr Laura Phillips, Senior Researcher at the African Trust Infrastructure Chair at the Wits Institute For Social And Economic Research (WiSER).

Drawing from her NIHSS-supported research project, Currency and Colonialism, she reflects on the social, cultural and political dimensions of money, and on why monetary policy cannot be understood as a purely technical or economic exercise. Her contribution highlights how money and monetary systems are also gendered, shaping how resources are distributed, whose needs are prioritised and how people experience economic life.

For this Women’s Month, NIHSS is creating space for women across the humanities and social sciences to surface the questions that help us better understand the systems shaping our everyday lives.

How can we rethink money, policy and the distribution of resources in ways that better reflect who society values and whose lives are being shaped by these decisions?

Join the conversation and share your perspective below.

19/08/2026

Once a woman is in the room, is she being heard, or is she simply being counted?

In this instalment of The Questions That Shape Tomorrow, we hear from Ms Ignatia Madalane, Programme Coordinator at the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences.

She reflects on the difference between representation and real influence, and asks us to look beyond how many women occupy leadership positions to whether their voices are genuinely heard, whether they have the power to shape decisions, and whether that influence leads to meaningful change.

For this Women’s Month, NIHSS is creating space for women across the humanities and social sciences to interrogate the realities they research, experience and navigate every day.

What must change so that women are not only present in the room, but heard, trusted and able to influence what happens within it?

Join the conversation and share your perspective below.

17/08/2026

What kinds of institutions do we need to build to truly enable women leaders?

In this instalment of The Questions That Shape Tomorrow, we hear from Prof Victoria Collis-Buthelezi, a scholar of Black literary, cultural and intellectual history working across the Caribbean, Africa and the United States.

She reflects on the persistent drop-off in women’s representation as they move through leadership ranks, and on the institutional conditions that often require women, particularly Black women, to navigate leadership environments shaped by patriarchal norms, limited support and unequal expectations.

For this Women’s Month, NIHSS is creating space for women across the humanities and social sciences to interrogate the realities they research, experience and navigate every day.

How do we ready our institutions not merely to appoint women leaders, but to support, trust and enable them to lead fully?

Join the conversation and share your perspective below.

13/08/2026

It has been 70 years since the women of 1956 marched to Pretoria in pursuit of equality, yet many of the inequalities they challenged continue to shape women’s lives today.

For this Women’s Month, NIHSS is creating a platform for women across the humanities and social sciences to raise the questions society cannot afford to stop asking, while foregrounding their perspectives as thinkers and knowledge producers engaging with the issues shaping our workplaces, institutions, communities and public life.

Through these contributions, we hope to move beyond commemoration and create space for reflection, dialogue and questions that can inform how we think about the future.

In this first instalment, we hear from Dr Sheetal Bhoola of the University Of Zululand, who reflects on the persistence of gendered and racialised inequality in South Africa’s senior and top management structures.

How do we meaningfully assess the progress we have made, and what must still change to ensure that today’s inequalities do not define the future of young women in South Africa?

Join the conversation and share your perspective below.

Call for Executive Committee Applications!The Humanities and Social Sciences Alumni Association invites eligible alumni ...
06/08/2026

Call for Executive Committee Applications!

The Humanities and Social Sciences Alumni Association invites eligible alumni to apply for positions on its Executive Committee.

The call is open to graduates of the NIHSS SAHUDA and CODESRIA programmes who are interested in contributing to the development of a relevant and sustainable alumni association.

Executive Committee members will support efforts to strengthen engagement and networking across the NIHSS community, create opportunities to showcase alumni work and encourage meaningful peer and expert-led engagement around research.

Eligible alumni are encouraged to review the application requirements and submit their applications before the closing date.

Click here to apply: https://nihss.ac.za/node/2072

Women’s Month invites us to reflect not only on women’s achievements, but also on the histories, struggles and ideas tha...
04/08/2026

Women’s Month invites us to reflect not only on women’s achievements, but also on the histories, struggles and ideas that continue to shape society.

As part of the JIAS Seminar Series, the NIHSS is pleased to partner with the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study and the University of Johannesburg for a Women’s Month launch centred on scholarship, memory and women’s contributions to South Africa’s political and intellectual life.

Prof Pearl Sithole, CEO of the NIHSS, will deliver the keynote address, followed by historian and author Zikhona Valela, who will present: Nomadabi: Winnie Madikizela-Mandela-A Figure Forged in Struggle

The seminar will offer a critical engagement with the life and legacy of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, while examining how women’s histories are documented, interpreted and carried into contemporary public discourse.

Date: 06 August 2026
Time: 16:30-19:00 SAST
Venue: JIAS, 1 Tolip Street, Westdene, Johannesburg (Hybrid Event)

Scan the QR code or RSVP: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=zVp4-u82vEGKlImEEyfgRX7nQ5g2nOVItV2hRnVAzDxUN0Y4M0xRVDdPMDhDMlFPMUxJWjdZMlBVRC4u&origin=lprLink&fbclid=IwY2xjawTedwRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFDT083cXZEcFdNNUR3Z0t4c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHnjZOdaJlgU3sp9dvj0_l4a0QrcmPjq-r7Fze0v-oZy_bCtPQDsD6zI2-J5S_aem_KF8uQszfJfnWgQtRxavqFA&route=shorturl

Care is not only what happens in a consulting room.According to the latest available national estimate, nearly one in th...
29/07/2026

Care is not only what happens in a consulting room.

According to the latest available national estimate, nearly one in three South African adults may experience a mental disorder in their lifetime. Yet access to appropriate care remains deeply unequal, with many people living with mental health conditions unable to access the support and treatment they need.

For many communities, wellbeing is shaped not only by medicine, but also by culture, spirituality, poverty, history, trust and accessibility. Conversations about mental health therefore cannot ignore Indigenous Knowledge Systems or the role of traditional healers in community care.

In the fourth and final reflection in our series, What Remains in Our Hands to Change, Ms Babalwa Ganya of Nelson Mandela University explores mental health and wellbeing through the lens of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and community-centred care. She asks what it means to build a society that cares more effectively when peoples lived realities are complex, layered and often shaped by historical exclusion.

Her reflection reminds us that a caring society requires healthcare systems that listen to peoples lived realities, respect different ways of knowing and create meaningful dialogue among communities, traditional healers, healthcare practitioners and mental health professionals.

Read the full reflection on the NIHSS website: https://nihss.ac.za/node/2070

Democracy does not begin and end at the ballot box.It is also reflected in the language of a courtroom, the wording of p...
27/07/2026

Democracy does not begin and end at the ballot box.

It is also reflected in the language of a courtroom, the wording of public policy and the ability of ordinary citizens to understand and influence decisions that affect their lives.

South Africa recognises 12 official languages, yet English remains the language used for official court records. The 58.64% voter turnout in the 2024 national elections further reminds us that active citizenship must be continually strengthened beyond election day.

In the third of our four-part reflection series, What Remains in Our Hands to Change, Ms ZiziphoTom, PhD Candidate at Nelson Mandela University, examines democracy and governance through the interconnected lenses of language justice, civic education and public participation. Her reflection asks what active citizenship means when language, justice and meaningful participation remain deeply connected.

She reminds us that democracy is strengthened when people understand public processes, exercise their language rights and participate meaningfully in shaping the institutions that serve them.

Read the full reflection on the NIHSS website:
https://nihss.ac.za/node/2069

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24 Street Andrews
Johannesburg
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Tuesday 08:00 - 16:30
Wednesday 08:00 - 16:30
Thursday 08:00 - 16:30
Friday 08:00 - 16:30

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