Upcoming Events

Translation produces proteins that are the major determinants of cellular functions. Regulation of translation is an essential part of the control of gene expression: it not only provides a critical and fine-tuned control in gene expression, but also offers the cell an opportunity to rapidly respond to internal cellular cues and external stimuli without invoking nuclear events. Professor Jin…

We live in a time defined by climate change with growing resistance to environmental degradation and extractive industries burgeoning across the globe. In the midst of this planet-wide crisis marked by debates about the Anthropocene, Indigenous peoples have been at the forefront ofenvironmental justice movements. Yet despite the tidal wave of interest in Indigenous knowledge(s) about the land…

The line item veto (LIV) is a power that 44 U.S. state governors have to delete parts or items of bills, while the rest becomes law. Professor Sin examines the effect of LIV in the power of these governors to influence legislation. Scholars have claimed that if the U.S. president can influence the shape and content of legislation by his mere ability to veto whole bills, then an executive with…

More soon!

Contrary to what is commonly believed, the Tārīkh al-fattāsh, one of the most famous sources for pre-colonial African history, is a nineteenth-century chronicle. Based primarily on unexplored Arabic manuscripts, this talk analyzes the chronicle in the landscape of nineteenth-century Islamic West Africa as a political project in legitimization of the Caliphate of Ḥamdallāhi (1818-1862…

The Zapatistas have a saying that "nothing is impossible for those who can see the invisible. Something can be invisible until you make it into something that has shape and form." Since 2014, Monica Trinidad has supported social justice movements in Chicago through her narrative-centered illustrations, and created an artist collective (For the People Artists Collective) to deepen the…

In our concern for the more than human world, many discussions have focused on individual animal suffering and threats to entire species. What happens when we instead ask questions about what meaningful relationships between humans and animals are possible, what makes their lives livable, and what role empathy can play in helping us to promote better relationships with others, both human and…

The Isikhumbuzo Applied History Unit started in the Rhodes University History Department in 2015. Isikhumbuzo is a word in the Xhosa language meaning reminder, memories or remembrance. In addition to Professor Wells, Isikhumbuzo is made up of historians/performers Masixole Heshu and Phemelo Hellemann and dancers Azile Cibi and Likhaya Jack. Together, they specialize in innovative ways…

Professor Livingston's talk calls into question the common assumption that economic growth is a necessary basis of well-being. It does so by tracing out the collateral environmental effects of this disposition, revealing how our current climate, pollution, and extinction crises emerge out of the ways we have organized our global, national, and local economic systems around a desire for endless…

Coming soon!