CORE PURPOSE OF JOB

The Centre for Women and Gender Studies (CWGS) seeks to appoint a Professor in African Queer Geographies, to contribute towards the Mandela gender transformation and gender diversity project. The main aim of this professorship is to position Nelson Mandela University as a leader in the study and theorisation of Gender, Sexuality and African Queer Futures. Housed under the Engagement and Transformation Portfolio, this professorship is designed to position the university within global Higher Education as a leader that connects African queer geographies of thought and people’s movements to advance the protection of gender diverse communities in Africa. 

As a socially-embedded university that pursues social justice, this interdisciplinary professorship aims to consolidate and systematise queer (gender non-normative) theorisation while building bridges between LGBTQIA+ activists, human rights groups and academics under the umbrella. The position further aims to provide scholarly leadership at the CWGS and supervision capacity for the envisioned Masters in Gender Studies (Coursework and Research).

KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS

Research & scholarship

• Contribute to knowledge production through the publication of scholarly outputs in reputable journals and peer-reviewed books, and presentations at local, national and international conferences;
• Supervise Master’s students and Doctoral candidates;
• Devise interdisciplinary supervision mechanisms for postgraduate students across the university;
• Conceptualise and develop research methodologies that centre African queer vocabularies;
• Create digital repositories of African queer movement(s) within the continent and beyond;
• Engage local and regional intellectual communities towards systematic theorisation of queerness as an interdisciplinary space while further strengthening the Revitalising the Humanities project; and
  • Pursue external funding for research by developing and attracting project proposals that would contribute towards the sustainability of the gender transformation project at Mandela 

Learning & Teaching

• Promote “humanising pedagogies” within gender and sexuality studies at Mandela;
• Design curricula for the Masters in Gender Studies and beyond, with particular focus on African queer geographies curricula;
• Attract world-renowned queer scholars to teach within the Masters in Gender Studies in disciplines and fields such as Sociology, African Languages, Literary Studies, Visual Arts, Political Science, Philosophy and Historical Studies; and
• Curate Visual Arts educational programs to archive queer African geographies.

Advocacy & Engagement

• Support and develop a new generation of scholars within and beyond the Humanities and Social Sciences;
• Engage across the University to embed gender transformation;
• Capacitate students, local communities and practitioners in queering policy languages towards inclusive and equitable institutional cultures; and
• Advance University collaborations with academic, civil, government and other stakeholders to advance African Queer Futures.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Technical/professional knowledge and skills
• Knowledge of curriculum development processes, combined with necessary theoretical and administrative skills for execution
• Knowledge of higher education funding landscape, and research proposal development skills
• Excellent leadership and management capabilities
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with particular expertise in networking and building collaborations
• Ability to work with diverse stakeholders
• Conflict resolution skills
• Excellent communication skills and multilingual capacity (verbal and written)
• Research skills and depth of knowledge in own discipline, combined with ability to undertake interdisciplinary, multi-disciplinary and transdisciplinary research
• Expertise in relevant methodologies, theories and conceptual development

• Show a clear understanding and application in multi-modal and visual methodologies in expressing African queer knowledges

REQUIREMENTS

• An appropriate doctoral qualification in Social Sciences or Humanities fields with specialisation in Gender Studies, Sexualities, African Queer Studies, Geography, Sociology, and/or any related area of specialisation
• Show advanced experience in teaching and supervision in higher education at postgraduate levels (10 years’ of experience in Higher Education)
• Demonstrable a proven record of research publications in accredited international and national publishing houses
• Demonstrate the ability to raise research funds and lead research projects
• An ability to theorise using indigenous languages (will be an additional advantage), particularly as spoken in the Eastern Cape.