Southern African Philosophy Prospering Amid Young Academics

16 July 2023

University of KwaZulu-Natal

Howard College Campus

UNITE Conference Building

On the 14th-16th July, the UKZN Philosophy Department, situated in Howard College Campus’s School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics, played host to the 2023 South African Postgrad Philosophy Symposium. The Symposium was held at the UNITE Conference Center at UKZN’s Howard College Campus, which showcased the best UKZN had to offer, with beautiful views, a safe enabling environment and our well-known KZN warmth, with University of the Witwatersrand’s Zwelenkani Mdhlalose commenting “Compliments to UKZN for the great hospitality”. Organised by the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Prof. Gregory Swer, Dr. Richard Sivil, Mr Nathisvaran Govender and the North-West University’s Ms Gisela Diedericks the Symposium brought together young postgrads within the field of philosophy from tertiary institutions from all over Southern Africa. After a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Symposium offered the opportunity for over 40 post-graduate students the opportunity to present their current research in the field of Philosophy, with interest being scattered over a wide area of research from critical discourse analysis in the fields of Architecture and Energy Justice, to critical analysis in the fields of the philosophy of technology, African philosophy, Feminism and Critical Theory. The Symposium also enabled an exchange of ideas among young researchers and encouraged greater cooperation in research; as Cate Otto of the University of the Free State mentioned, “The Symposium was an invaluable experience. Meeting and spending time with other philosophers in a welcoming, comfortable space has truly inspired me… I feel more motivated than ever” or as the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s’ Lemohang Tebeli puts it “Overall the Symposium served as a catalyst for interdisciplinary learning, critical thinking, and intellectual curiosity, inspiring participants to pursue further research and future academic collaborations”. The Symposium also showcased the research being done by young African Scholars in Southern Africa, with a presentation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence by Manuel Kasulu of the University of Malawi. Overall the event was a great success, with many participants excited for next year’s Symposium. It is safe to say that Philosophy in South Africa is growing stronger and it is comforting that young academics are getting more involved.