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Faculty of Humanities
Ward, C.L., Artz, L.M., Berg, J.M., Boonzaier, F.A., Crawford-
Browne, S.H., Dawes, A.R.L., Foster, D.H., Matzopoulos, R.,
Nicol, A., Seekings, J.F., Van As, A.B. and Van Der Spuy, E.
2012. Violence, violence prevention, and safety: a research
agenda for South Africa. SAMJ South African Medical
Journal, 102(4): 215-218.
Department of Religious
Studies
Research Report 2012
(Including the Institute for
Comparative Religion in Southern
Africa, the Research Institute on
Christianity and Society in Africa,
and the Centre for Contemporary
Islam)
Head of Department: Professor
Abdulkader Tayob
Departmental Profile
The Department of Religious Studies maintains a strong
research profile through its staff and its three research
institutes. The Department houses the Institute for
Comparative Religion in Southern Africa (ICRSA), directed
by Professor David Chidester, which is engaged in research
on religion, religions and religious diversity; the Research
Institute on Christianity and Society in Africa (RICSA),
directed by Emeritus Professor James Cochrane, which is
involved in research on the social impact of Christianity
in South Africa and the African continent; and the Centre
for Contemporary Islam (CCI), directed by Dr Andrea
Brigaglia, which has undertaken interdisciplinary projects,
including international research on Islamic law in Africa,
Islamic publics in Africa, and the presidential legacy
project on the manuscript archives of Timbuktu. Still under
the co-direction of Emeritus Professor Cochrane, the
International Religious Health Assets Programme (IRHAP,
previously ARHAP) now with its UCT Hub office in the School
of Public Health and Family Medicine in the Faculty of
Health Sciences, researches various issues on the interface
between religion and public health in Africa and beyond.
These research initiatives of the Department have proved
to be particularly important for the research development
of the many postgraduate students employed by them
and have also served to attract national and international
researchers to the Department. The Department features
two NRF A-rated researchers, Professor David Chidester
and Emeritus Professor John de Gruchy, the latter of whom
is retired but remains an active researcher associated with
the Department. In addition the Department publishes
the
Journal for the Study of Religion
and the
Journal for
Islamic Studies,
which is accredited by the Department of
Education, and the
Annual Review of Islam in South Africa.
Departmental Statistics
Professors
2
Associate Professors
2
Senior Lecturers
2
Lecturers
1
Postdoctoral Fellows
3
Honorary Research Associates
2
Research Staff
1
Administrative and Clerical Staff
2
Total
15
Honorary staff
Emeritus Professors
2
Adjunct Associate Professors
1
Students
Doctoral
20
Master’s
12
Honours
14
Undergraduate
932
Total
937
Research Fields and Staff
Dr Louis Blond
Continental Philosophy, Contemporary Jewish Philosophy,
Jewish Religious Discourse and Critical Theory
Dr Andrea Brigaglia
Islam in Africa; Sufism, religious literature and scholarly
networks in 20
th
century’s Nigeria, Qur’anic exegesis in
West African languages
Professor David Chidester
History of religions; religion in North America; religion in
South Africa
Emeritus Professor James Cochrane
Religion; globalisation; public health; society; Africa;
migration
Emeritus Professor John de Gruchy (Senior
Scholar)
Christian theology, Bonhoeffer; South African Church;
theological aesthetics; reconciliation; public theology;
missionary history