Critical Hope: Lessons and Legacies from a Post-Apartheid University Context

This talk will explore the enduring legacies of apartheid within higher education, focusing on issues of race and gender among students and faculty. The discussion will also delve into horizontal pedagogies that promote equality and shared responsibility, raising the question: who should steer efforts toward diversity and institutional change?

Khayaat Fakier is a associate Professor at Stellenbosch University in South Africa in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology. In the Winter Semester 2025/26, she is a Agathe-Lasch Guest Scholar at the University of Hamburg (UHH). Professor Fakier is an acclaimed expert in the fields of diversity and gender studies. Her empirical research focuses particularly on groups in South Africa that are historically disadvantaged, feminist movements, and related currents within these groups. Her work pays special attention to the (self-)organization of women in rural areas, those in precarious employment (especially domestic workers, service staff, and similar roles), as well as activities in the informal and industrial sectors.

This event is organized by the Latin American Studies Department at the University of Hamburg (UHH) in collaboration with the Equal Opportunities Office of the Faculty of Humanities, the Equity Unit of the University of Hamburg and the “Collective Responsibility. Combating racism at Universities” Project Group.