Theme Projects

What does it mean to be human? And: What is the nature of the world in which we aspire to be human?

To start with the second: What characterizes the context in which individuals and societies find themselves in the first half of the 21st century? It has variously been described as the technological age, as a globalized world, as a network society, as “postmodern”. All of these descriptors refer to an important aspect, but hardly covers the whole. Perhaps the most striking feature is our growing awareness of the complexity of our world and the realization that developments on the social, economic, political, technological and other fronts interact and affect each other. The piece-meal, sectorial, oversimplified models of society, coupled with our fragmented understanding of science and of the planet have potentially destructive consequences for the world, but also for our humanity. Our context forces us to continue our exploration of the physical and biological world. In doing so we also have to reflect on the first question, namely the fundamental issue of how our humanity is constituted. This gives rise to further questions, for example how our understanding of humanity is influenced by these contextual factors and what kind of human society/societies are emerging from this interaction.

Against this background, STIAS welcomes research proposals aimed at exploring various aspects of this theme. The following are examples of subthemes in need of further investigation.

Questions of human origins

• Studies in living systems, including human evolution and paleographical research
• The origins of human language and human cognition
• Bio-neurological research
• Studies in human behaviour

Studies in technology

• The impact of technology on humans and on human society
• Technology and education, e.g. empirical research on the influence of electronic media on levels of literacy, numeracy and logical thinking or on the possibility of improving quality of life through the use of electronic technology

Demographic studies

• Research on the demographic profile of the current world population and future trends

Philosophical questions

• The critical assessment of recent developments in social theory, including the relevance of systems thinking for the understanding of social phenomena
• The constitution of humanity and the impact of classifications
• Models for a society “with a human face” such as critical humanism, reflexive humanism, interconnectedness and solidarity, humanity as part of the web of life

The successes/failures of social transitions

• The notion of progress in descriptors such as “postmodern”, “postcolonial”, “posthuman” and “post-racial”
• The impact of social transitions as well as the social integration of diverse cultures and value systems in different parts of the world
• The effect of culture, religion, ethnicity, race and history on processes of identity formation, social relationships, community structures and civic society

Changes in historiography

• The role of memory and how the past is constructed and interpreted.
• The challenges of “multifaceted historiography” in a global context

The effects of race

• Visible and cultural human diversity
• Linguistic infrastructure of racialism
• Complexity of multiple identities

Values and values research

• The genesis of social values
• The origins of the concept of human dignity and the subsequent development of human rights, especially in the legal domain
• Empirical studies on values based on longitudinal surveys

Artistic expression

• The contribution of contemporary literature, theater, music and the visual arts to our understanding of being human

In the constant quest for new knowledge, borders play an essential role. Borders are important for the delineation of concepts, for the classification of phenomena, for the description and understanding of systems, for the critical analysis of data and for the effective communication of ideas. However, borders are in themselves not immutable. They are subject to change and they can become diffuse and porous. The commitment of STIAS to the generation of new knowledge implies the willingness to challenge the limits of existing knowledge and to venture into unchartered territory. This by necessity entails the crossing of borders – the borders of academic disciplines, of dominant paradigms, of conventional solutions, of isolated mindsets – in order to achieve what has been described as the “cross-pollination of ideas”.

Against this background, STIAS welcomes research proposals aimed at exploring various aspects of this theme. The following are examples of subthemes in need of further investigation.

Information and development

One of the most spectacular examples of the crossing of borders in recent times that needs further investigation, is the way in which the information age and the network society have reshaped the borders of our existing world. Through the possibilities created by electronic communication and digitalization, alternative ‘worlds’ have come into existence, often subverting existing centers of power and influence. Manuel Castells has shown how the ‘network society’ functions as an alternative (virtual) society that co-exists with ‘normal’ society, with all kinds of social, political and economic implications, including the relationship between informationalism and development.

Transdisciplinarity

STIAS promotes research projects that draw on the methods, insights and results from more that one discipline. Existing boundaries between disciplines are often historically determined and arbitrary in nature. The most interesting new insights often emerge from the ‘cracks’ between them. The differentiation between disciplines can be the source of a creative tension that results in new advances. Since its inception STIAS has supported research in all disciplines, thereby providing an environment of constant and lively interaction between the natural, biological and human sciences. For this very reason the concept of inter-, intra- or transdisciplinarity itself is in need of critical examination.

The social and economic consequences of human mobility

Since it earliest beginnings, the evolution of humankind has been marked by human movement on a lesser to a massive scale. The crossing of geographical and political borders is an inherent feature of human history. In recent times, and more specifically since the ‘third wave’ of democratization since 1989, forced or voluntary human migration is again at the forefront of social and political developments. Whether it is the challenges of immigration and the integration of Europe, the massive displacement of large parts of the population in Africa, the apparently unstoppable process of urbanization in many parts of the world, human mobility has far-reaching social and economic consequences. The weakness of the state, the vulnerability of national boundaries, the violence characteristic of these processes and the impact on human and natural resources affect individuals and groups on different levels and in different ways.

Investigation of rising levels of xenophobia in South Africa (but also in many other parts of the world), the formation of collective identities, patterns of migration, unacknowledged atrocities and the rise of ‘urban mindsets’ provide some examples of work in this area, but much more research needs to be done in this field.

The porous borders of living systems

John Mingers (Realising Systems Thinking 2006: 65) writes: “It is an interesting paradox that a system boundary is one of the most fundamental concepts underlying systems thinking and yet it is one of the least discussed, especially in the seminal literature. Arguably, the concept of a ‘system’ existing within an ‘environment’ is the foundation of systems theory and yet what is it that separates a system from its components and their relation is effectively to delineate its boundary. Or, put the other way, in order to define a system it is necessary to define its boundary. Thus the drawing of a boundary is in fact the most primitive systemic act that one can perform.”

Despite the foundational role of the concept of a boundary, current research of systems increasingly makes it clear that these boundaries are porous. The distinction between what is part of a system and what is not becomes problematic, and raises the challenge how to conceptualize boundaries that divide and include at the same time.

Boundaries and Legal Authority in a Global Context

There is widespread agreement that the enormous growth of cross-border human activities increasingly calls into question the regulatory capacities of the territorial state. Yet the broader conceptual and normative significance of these developments remains the object of protracted debate. One of the central conceptual problems consists in establishing how (spatial) boundaries and boundary contestation continue to play a decisive role in making sense of legal orders in a global context, where processes of inclusion and exclusion are no longer exclusively linked to the forms of closure proper to the territorial state. This de-centring of boundaries and boundary contestation from the territorial state raises important normative questions concerning legal authority. What renders authoritative the acts of setting legal boundaries in a global context? Moreover, what are appropriate and effective institutional mechanisms by which such authority can be contested?

Since the ‘Third Wave’ of democracy has swept through Southern Europe, Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, Africa, and a number of South-East Asian countries, transitions to democracy have become a global phenomenon. Furthermore, liberal democracy appears to be the preferred form of government in most parts of the world. There are significant differences in these processes of transition and consolidation of democracy between countries. At the same time, there are many similarities that can only be understood by large scale comparative analyses across countries and time. Three decades have elapsed since the beginning of the ‘Third Wave’. Thus, it is now possible to assess the persistence of the institutional structures as well as the emerging democratic political culture of these young democracies. The quality of democracy has a direct bearing on a country’s ability to meet current and future challenges. These challenges are both external and internal. Most of the external challenges result from processes of globalization. Among these processes economic globalization is most important. Today nation states face a strong competition world-wide. Success and failure in this global competition largely determines the ability of countries to meet the expectations of their citizens regarding preferred outcomes such as social welfare, security, or environmental protection. Perceived failures to achieve this feeds a growing skepticism in the performance of institutions of representative government. This can result in a challenge of both the effectiveness as well as the legitimacy of democratic rule.

Against this background, STIAS welcomes research proposals aimed at exploring various aspects of this theme. The following are examples of subthemes in need of further investigation:

Theoretical explorations

“Democracy” comes in many varieties. There are different types of democratic institutions as well as different types of democratic communities. In order to better understand differences in the performance of democracy the notion of democracy and its many varieties should be explored on a theoretical level.

External challenges

Processes of globalization lead to increased challenges to society and the economy. Aspects that need further attention include global economic competition among nation states; large-scale migration, the impact of religious fundamentalism on the division between state and religion and the resulting problems for the implementation of the rule of law.

Internal challenges

Processes of modernization and changes in value systems often result in a citizenry that is cognitively better equipped, critical and demanding more participation. Corruption, nepotism as well as gender, social and economic inequalities become important issues and the institutions of liberal democracy are evaluated in terms of their efficiency and performance to tackle these problems. This growing tendency has important implications for the functioning of democracy and warrants further scrutiny.

Empirical investigations

Research on varieties of democracy and of democratic community is growing. More empirical work is needed on the impact of external and internal challenges on liberal democracy and on the ability of different political regimes (autocracies as well as democracies) to deal with the most recent global recession. However, it is necessary to integrate the various approaches and data collections to ease empirical analysis and to better understand the future of liberal democracy.

The role of constitutions

An important part of the STIAS programme will be an annual seminar on African constitutionalism. This will be a joint project with the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa and the Centre for Human Rights, based in the Law Faculty of Pretoria University and their partners on the African continent. These acclaimed institutes form part of an African-wide network and have close links with the United Nation office in Geneva.

Being the foundational document of the state, constitutions have the potential to play a crucial role in maintaining the health of democracies. The current constitutional landscape in Africa is highly fragmented, and reflects the residues of colonialism, traditional values and modernization, while those involved in shaping new constitutional orders often provide short interventions or otherwise draw on an eclectic blend of ideas not suited to local conditions.

However, the role of constitutions in Africa cannot be considered in isolation and the Annual Seminar needs to be augmented by additional research on constitutions and constitutionalism in other parts of the world in order to provide a comparative framework and to place developments on the continent in a global perspective. STIAS would therefore welcome individual or group projects in this field in addition to the work being done by the Seminar.

Understanding that the world is constituted by complex phenomena introduces a new way of looking at and thinking about the natural and social world.

Throughout the ages humanity’s belief in the power of science is related to its ability to reveal to us the truths of nature and to explain the secrets of the world in which we live. Since Isaac Newton’s discovery that the natural world is regulated by universal laws, a science was born that aimed to explain reality by simplifying it in terms of essential laws and elements. In light of all the technology and advanced methods that are available to science today, one would think that by now all the questions of how nature works should have been answered in principle. A glance through any newspaper easily contradicts this expectation we have from science. In fact, more unsolved problems emerge daily in this search of truth.

New discoveries in various scientific fields of study since the twentieth century showed that the true nature of reality is not knowable by explaining the mysteries of nature by means of simplifying it to its essential elements. An acknowledgement of the complexity of nature and the various ways in which nature and humans interact with one another led to what is now generally known as complexity theory. Understanding that the world is constituted by complex phenomena introduces a new way of looking at and thinking about the natural and social world.

Achieving a sufficient understanding of complex phenomena remains a scientific task that requires innovative ways of doing research. Internationally, complexity theory has established itself over the last two decades as a discipline of central importance, engaging in groundbreaking ways with problems of paramount importance in the human and natural sciences. Complexity theory is recognised worldwide as a theoretical framework with crucial implications for the way we understand the world and how we act in it, specifically in the light of the failure of traditional scientific theories that aim to explain complex phenomena with methods that deny their complexity.

Research done in the field of complexity theory concerns itself with phenomena such as, for example, ecosystems, social and economic systems, the cellular organization that constitute a living organism, the way in which neurons interact in the brain, how meaning arises in language, business management, political tolerance and health systems. From these examples it becomes clear that complexity research challenges scientists to embark on inter-disciplinary journeys in their search for the truth. As another example, Millennium Development Goals such as ensuring environmental sustainability, eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, and combating HIV/Aids and other diseases can only be approached if the deeply complex nature of these problems is understood.

Complexity is a slippery notion; the term is used in a myriad of contexts. In the natural sciences it is closely associated with what are now called the complexity sciences that model systems with the tools of chaos theory, fractals, cellular automata, artificial life, etc. However, this can be classified under the umbrella of restricted complexity, a term coined by complexity philosopher Edgar Morin. The complex problems that we as world society are confronted with are part of what Morin would call general complexity, a vastly more difficult concept involving self-reflection, emergence, multiple non-linear feedback, circular causality, impredicativity, even contradictions. General complexity can therefore not be captured in a formal language – as a matter of fact, we do not really have a language which can deal with general complexity. As the theoretical biologist Robert Rosen said, we can only approximate an understanding of such complexity by employing a plurality of descriptions or models.

The theme of complexity, which has already produced three multi-author volumes, has been a continuing interest of STIAS. Originally entitled “A critical assessment of new developments in Complexity Theory”, it was initiated by the late complexity philosopher Paul Cilliers and continued by Jannie Hofmeyr, who currently directs the Centre for Studies in Complexity.

Aspects of complexity that could form the basis for projects under this theme are:

• New approaches to modelling complexity
• Anticipation and complexity
• A study of the underlying drivers of complexity in systems
• How to understand and manage “wicked” problems in socio-ecological systems
• Regime shifts and tipping points in socio-ecological systems
• The implication of complexity for ethics

The competing demands on natural resources by a rapidly expanding world population, strategies for economic growth, increases in food production, rising energy needs, the effects of climate change and the political pressure for equitable land redistribution all contribute to make the question whether the planet’s agro-ecosystems can be sustained in the long run not only a theoretical issue, but a matter of human and environmental survival. Against this background, STIAS welcomes research proposals in all four areas, aimed at exploring various aspects of this field. The following are examples of subthemes in need of further investigation.

Climate change

• Major drivers of climate change
• Speed of change, most affected regions, future prospects
• Technologies to improve efficiency and reduce emissions

Environmental Degradation

• Water – sources, patterns of usage, efficiency
• Energy – non-renewable and renewable sources, viable alternatives
• Soil degradation – causes and counter-measures
• Exploitation of non-renewable natural resources – mining, gas, oil, minerals

Food Security

• Empirical studies on the level and prevalence of food deprivation, economic factors and future needs in different parts of the world
• Impact of sustainable intensification of food production on environment and human well-being
• Gender and food security
• Children and food security
• The influence of labour and labour unrest on food security
• Alternative production systems and food distribution strategies

Land Rights and Land Redistribution

• Moral and legal issues underlying land rights and land use
• Political, economic and other factors driving land redistribution
• Case studies of successful/unsuccessful land redistributions
• Alternative approaches to equitable redistribution and the productive use of land

Global health faces a number of unprecedented challenges that cannot be approached effectively from the perspective of a single discipline, nor by concentrating on one country or region in isolation. These challenges are global in the full sense of the word and in urgent need of innovative research and fresh thinking. They present a unique opportunity for scholars from different parts of the world, and in particular for cooperation between Swedish and South African/African researchers. A special feature of this field is that it is constantly evolving.

The concept of “health transition”

Nowhere are the above challenges more visible than in Africa, where the impacts of HIV and AIDS interact with rapidly growing epidemics of chronic disease of the middle-aged and the unfinished agenda of infection and malnutrition mainly affecting children. This results in an increasingly weakened generation subject to what is often labelled a multiple and polarized burden.

During the 20th century, Sweden, like many European countries, underwent a transition from predominantly infectious causes to non-communicable diseases, with major implications for health services, social support and longevity. This transition was partly fuelled by socio-economic development, as well as by specific medical innovations. Many of the world’s poorer countries are still in the process of similar transitions, and currently at different stages. This has only been explored by researchers to a limited extent, despite the availability of long-term population statistics.

The concept of “transition” has been used to describe the above dynamics and labeled with different prefixes depending on disciplinary perspective. The early concept was labeled “demographic” and it mainly involved mortality and fertility and their consequences for population changes. When later using “epidemiological” as a prefix, the focus has shifted to the complex patterning of health and disease and their demographic, socio-economic and biological determinants while, during the last two decades, the wider framework of “health transition” has been used, including population change and the way societies and their health systems respond to changing health situations as a result of cultural, social and behavioral determinants.

One of the greatest challenges for international public health research is the gap in health information between rich and poor countries. Births and deaths are often not routinely recorded and most deaths are not medically attended or certified as to cause. This constitutes a major and longstanding constraint to the articulation of effective policies and programs aimed at improving the health of the poor. Scandinavia exemplifies the importance of health data for health policies and prevention activities.

A major challenge for international public health research thus lies in bridging the wide gap between countries of availability of timely health information. Swedish and African researchers have been involved with the INDEPTH network, now encompassing more than 40 health and demographic surveillance field sites in more than 20 countries, since its foundation in 1998. INDEPTH harnesses the collective potential of these initiatives to provide a better empirical understanding of health and social issues and to apply this understanding to alleviate the most severe health and social challenges.

Health transition in sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the only major area in the world where the burden of infectious disease still outweighs the burden of non-communicable disease and injuries. The health transition in Sub-Saharan Africa involves trends in health, disease, and mortality marked by discontinuities and abrupt changes that reflect the fragility and instability of its countries and the vulnerabilities of its individuals and populations. Specifically, the research demonstrates declines in infant mortality and increases in life expectancy throughout the continent from the 1950s through the 1990s, a period during which communicable diseases were responsible for most deaths in Africa but growing rates of adult mortality since the 1990s, mostly ascribed to HIV/AIDS and its co-morbidities which have played a major role in reversing the mortality trend and improvements in life expectancy, and reversing gender differences in life expectancies in several countries. Finally, wars have played a major role in reversing the trends in under-five mortality decline in sub-Saharan countries in the 1990s and beyond.

Health transition in South Africa

South Africa is by no means unique among a number of transitional countries in having insufficient detailed health information for its health service planning. South Africa is severely affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, while non-communicable diseases are becoming increasingly important causes of morbidity and mortality. However, information on these emerging conditions is incomplete and inadequate for effective health policy and planning.

It is clear that the projections of the World Bank and WHO of NCDs being the major causes of death in the developing countries have already been met and especially so for South Africa. The challenge for the health services of a country with the multiple burden of diseases is to complete the unfinished task of managing the diseases of poverty while simultaneously initiating prevention and cost-effective care of patients with NCDs.

Health is increasingly recognized as a driver of economic and social development, and not merely affected by it. Despite explicit equity goals of the South African Health and Welfare Department, lack of information on the poorest sectors of the population makes appropriate planning and resource allocation to address equity gaps a major challenge.

A tentative research agenda

The general theme “Health in Transition” can be approached from two perspectives and be investigated under two subthemes, “Prevention” or “Health Care”. Against this background, STIAS welcomes research proposals aimed at exploring various aspects of these subthemes. The following are topics of particular interest:

• Surveying and assessing existing data and research
• Emerging trends
• Major unmet challenges
• Universal health care
• The balance between prevention and care
• Health promotion (including social and economic factors)
• A critical examination of existing health systems
• Medical education
• Medical communication
• Implementation (especially middle management)
• Comparative data on success/failure of medical interventions
• Global mental health
• Changing behavior
• Health equity (equal access to health care)
• Medical dimensions of dealing with violence
• Affordable health care/health economics

Rationale, motivation and aims

The project seeks to understand and unpack the deep complexities of the South African university against the background of global discussions on the changing role of the university. Although many of the challenges like university funding, access, inequality, representativity, curriculum, and the impact of technology are true of universities almost everywhere, they are especially pertinent in South Africa because of the crises of the past few years. South Africa is faced with an urgent societal challenge. It would therefore be important for projects to be responsive to a particular aspect of the challenge in higher education, and to propose solutions to address that challenge. Projects should be conceived with the aim of not only scholarly output, but also societal impact. Inherent to the project is a desire to be forward looking and to engage the next generation of academics in this endeavour.

Knowledge of South Africa, being on the African continent, and what is South African is often narrated from the outside. However, the project necessarily begins with understanding the past, and raises the question: has colonisation directed and positioned South African universities into a subservient global position?

In this regard consideration should be given to questions like: Is it possible to sketch out the past and the future of South African higher education and can the current disruption and discourse be translated into new directions and practice?

Two further motivations point to the focus of this project:

1. The current local discourse of and activism around transformation have highlighted the need to revisit the concept of what a South African university is or ought to be. This project aims to enrich the concept of transformation to reposition South African universities in the African and global contexts.
2. The project explores the tensions and possibilities between dominant and dormant epistemologies operative in the university. It provides an opportunity to reinterpret and contextualise knowledge, and to position South African scholars and scholarship as global leaders in this intellectual enterprise.

Theoretical point of departure

The obvious point of departure would be decolonisation. The project seeks to ask whether other countries or systems have already successfully decolonised higher education, and whether we can learn from them? Or are we unique, and therefore have to do it ourselves?

Questions to consider include: What is the impact of diverse knowledge systems on contemporary higher education?

Areas of inquiry

The project focuses on four areas of enquiry, each pertaining in specific ways to the South African context:

• Understanding the colonial legacies and post-colonial realities of the university
• The entanglements of knowledge traditions and transitions in the university
• Understanding the contemporary university
• The university of the future

Understanding the colonial legacies and post-colonial realities of the university

Legacies and life worlds in South Africa’s universities were drawn from the Anglophone and European university traditions. Not one South African university has been immune from the impact of these traditions. Without understanding this founding principle, the case for repositioning South African universities is impossible.

The entanglements of knowledge traditions and transitions in the university

This area seeks to engage in discussion around different epistemologies that underpin a layered and complex university system. The richness of South African intellectual traditions and their place in the world resists a one-dimensional understanding. Inherent here is the need to interrogate how a South African university can be based in local intellectual traditions, while also aspiring to global relevance.

Understanding the contemporary university

Universities worldwide are relentlessly focused on attaining ‘excellence’. But through whose lenses is ‘excellence’ to be seen? The university’s academic role is not only a matter of what the university is good at, but equally a matter of what it is good for. Decolonisation is a societal challenge of particular relevance to South Africa. It is not only ‘excellence’, but also the extent to which a university is an integral part of the society within which it is situated, which determines its legitimacy, and indeed its quality.

The university of the future

If South African universities are to escape the present paralysis, they will need to reflect the country’s many worlds and its location on the African continent. The next South African university needs to be intellectually critical, socially engaged, decolonised, and relevant to South Africa and Africa, and its societies and languages.

This long-term theme project of STIAS will be conducted in partnership with other South African knowledge institutions.