The School of Communication Studies and the Social Transformation research focus area in the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Humanities will be hosting an online public lecture on 18 June 2021 at 16:00 via Zoom.

The lecture, titled: “Decolonising communication research: Excavating the layers and identifying new horizons of practice” , aims to spark intellectual conversations around themes such as the colonial lineage of digital technologies and research paradigms, and questioning dominant themes in communication studies research and their appropriateness to specific study context.

The guest speaker is Dr Isabelle Zaugg, a lecturer and postdoctoral research fellow at Columbia University in New York, USA.

Dr Zaugg, who lives in Ethiopia, says she will not present herself as an "expert", but rather as someone who has thought about these things to some degree.

“Together we can expand our knowledge through conversation. I have a lot of experience with regard to the United States and Ethiopia, but not within the South African context, so it will be a good opportunity for me to learn more about your experiences as scholars,” says Dr Zaugg.

According to Dr Tshepang Molale, who is co-organising the event with Dr Tsietsi Mmutle, this lecture is part of the School of Communication Studies’ postgraduate seminar series, aimed at supporting postgraduate students in their studies.

“We want to use this platform to spark debates as stepping stones to enable our students to critically evaluate literature,” says Dr Molale.

Dr Mmutle says the lecture will be attended by Prof Duminsani Moyo, executive dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Prof Mpho Chaka, deputy dean for teaching and learning, and Prof Mirna Nel, deputy dean for research and innovation, among others.

Those interested to attend the lecture can follow this link on 18 June at 16:00.

The meeting ID is 943 6293 8195, and the passcode 444316.