In 2013, it was reported that more than two-thirds of South Africa’s citizens now live in the country’s sprawling urban areas. The Gauteng region alone saw its population swell to some 12 million, an increase of more than 30% in 10 years and more than double the national average. Such statistics, while significant, are not in themselves very instructive. The everyday impact of South Africa’s urbanisation in the years since apartheid, the daily struggles the the poor urban infrastructure imposes, the expanding social and spatial inequalities that fragment the city, and the architecture of anxiety that determines so many ordinary urban habits, are better understood through the narratives crafted by the city’s writers, filmmakers, performers and visual artists, In the imaginative writing of the city, established authors such as Ivan Vladislavic, William Kentridge, and Willie Bester contribute as much to our understanding of the South African city as the emerging voices of photographers and filmmakers such as Mikhael Subotzky, Ramadan Suleman, and Oliver Hermanus. Moreover, like the graffiti commonly daubed on the M1 underpass in Newtown, Johannesburg and the fiction titles that line the shelves of Cape Town’s Book Lounge, the form these stories adopt and the networks through which they find expression are as diverse and uneven as the cityscapes themselves. Now in it’s fourth year, Writing South Africa Now calls for academic papers that contribute to the ongoing writing of the South African city. For academic papers, send an abstract of 300 words and brief biography to the organisers by 4th March. For artistic contributions, send an outline of the proposed contribution of examples of work, along with a brief biography to organisers as soon as possible.
Jobs and Announcements
This course provides an introduction to systems thinking and systems models in public health. It requires 4 weeks of study, 4-5 hours/week, as an online course. Problems in public health and health policy tend to be complex with many actors, institutions and risk factors involved. If an outcome depends on many interacting and adaptive parts and actors the outcome cannot be analyzed or predicted with traditional statistical methods. Systems thinking is a core skill in public health and helps health policymakers build programs and policies that are aware of and prepared for unintended consequences. An important part of systems thinking is the practice to integrate multiple perspectives and synthesize them into a framework or model that can describe and predict the various ways in which a system might react to policy change. Systems thinking and systems models devise strategies to account for real world complexities.
The overall theme of this conference is “The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Grand Convergence and Health in Africa”. This theme recognizes the new international health economics and policy landscape with the end of the MDGs and the adoption in September 2015 of the successor SDG global initiative. It seeks to provide an African perspective and analysis of this emerging landscape and agenda. AfHEA will publish a policy paper on this new agenda and the perspectives after the conference. Visit the website for more details.
The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) invites researchers to submit their applications for participation in the 2016 Gender Institute to be held from 4th to 15th of July, 2016 in Dakar, Senegal. The re-emergence of a more virulent strain of the Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever (EHF) in West Africa in 2014 has brought to light some key issues of public health governance in Africa. One such issue is the gendered nature of epidemic-prone infectious diseases in Africa. Current epidemiological statistics on Ebola indicate that though the initial cases were predominantly male, the disease is slowly becoming a female epidemic in the affected countries in Africa. This gendered pattern of female vulnerability to disease in its progression and as it progresses in the population, mirrors that of HIV/AIDS. Understanding gender and disease has serious implications for governance of public health in Africa. Governance of public health in Africa relates to more than just the role of government. The relationship between gender, disease and governance of public health raises some key questions which this Institute will explore. Applicants should be PhD candidates or scholars in their early career with a proven capacity to conduct research on the theme of the Institute. Intellectuals active in the policy process and/or social movements and civil society organisations are also encouraged to apply. The number of places offered by CODESRIA for this session is limited to ten (10). Non-African scholars who are able to raise funds for their participation may also apply for a limited number of places. Applicants’ proposals must bring together the three components of the topic: gender, diseases and governance of public health In Africa. The proposed work can be based on empirical studies including field work using quantitative or qualitative methodologies; analytical work involving analysis of existing data or case studies. All work must have some theoretical grounding. Papers can be from any social science discipline including gender studies, sociology, anthropology, demography, economics; or health sciences like epidemiology or biostatistics. Scholars are encouraged to show through their work the way in which gender, diseases and public health governance are linked.
Health system global is calling for short films, documentaries, animated films, photo-essays, and other multimedia, that address any of the six symposium themes of the 4th Global Symposium for Health Systems Research in Vancouver this year (14-18 November). Submissions welcomed from health researchers, film-makers, activists and artists engaging with the content outlined in themes. Submissions will be peer reviewed and selected on the basis of the relevance of the content to the symposium and the ability to convey the message of the thematic areas. Please note that the technical quality of the media (cinematography, animation, professional editing) will not be the primary criteria for selection. Full details on submissions found at the website indicated.
Health Systems Trust (HST) is hosting a conference from 4-6 May 2016 at the Birchwood Conference Centre, Boksburg, Gauteng. Under the banner of Health for all through strengthened health systems: sharing, supporting, synergising, the event is designed to advance the global public health agenda in improving health outcomes. The conference will provide a forum in which those who contribute in various ways to the South African health system can exchange ideas, develop support mechanisms for common challenges, and foster synergies between interested groups. The three-day conference will convene approximately 300 healthcare workers from the public and private sectors as well as policy- and decision-makers, civil society groupings and academics.
The International AIDS Conference is a gathering for those working in the field of HIV, as well as policy makers, persons living with HIV and other individuals committed to ending the pandemic. It is a chance to assess state of affairs, evaluate recent scientific developments and lessons learnt, and collectively chart a course forward. The AIDS 2016 programme will present new scientific knowledge and offer many opportunities for structured dialogue on the major issues facing the global response to HIV. A variety of session types – from abstract-driven presentations to symposia, bridging and plenary sessions – will meet the needs of various participants. Other related activities, including the Global Village, satellite meetings, exhibitions and affiliated independent events, will contribute to an exceptional opportunity for professional development and networking.
The International AIDS Conference is the premier gathering for those working in the field of HIV, as well as policy makers, persons living with HIV and other individuals committed to ending the pandemic. It is a chance to assess where we are, evaluate recent scientific developments and lessons learnt, and collectively chart a course forward. Keynote speakers will cover areas such as Universal Access: Systems for health in the immediate treatment era, medicines and intellectual property, human rights and stigma.
The Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO), the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) and the International Development Economic Associates (IDEAS), are pleased to announce, within the framework of the third three-year phase of the Africa/Asia/Latin America Scholarly Collaborative Program, the call for applications for participation in the Eighth South-South Institute on “Inequality and Social Justice: Perspectives from the Global South”. The Institute will be held in Durban, South Africa, from September 11 to 18, 2015, on the back of the third World Social Science Forum (WSSF III, jointly hosted by CODESRIA, the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa and the ISSC). The Theme of the WSSF III is: Transforming Global Relations for a Just World. Younger scholars resident in countries of the South and who are pursuing active academic careers are eligible to apply for a place in the Institute. The Tri-continental arrangement requires applicants resident in Africa to submit their applications to CODESRIA, those resident in Asia to IDEAS and those resident in Latin America to CLACSO.
The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is pleased to announce the twenty-sixth session of its Small Grants Programme for Thesis Writing. The grants serve as part of the Council’s contribution to the development of the social sciences in Africa, and the continuous renewal and strengthening of research capacities in African universities, through the funding of primary research conducted by graduate and postgraduate students. Hence, candidates whose applications are successful are encouraged to use the resources provided under the grants to cover the cost of their fieldwork, the acquisition of books and documents, the processing of data which they have collected and the printing of their theses/dissertations. As the Council is strongly committed to encouraging African researchers to engage one another on a sustained basis, recipients of the small grants will also be supported to order books and journals produced by African scholarly publishers, including CODESRIA itself. They will also be encouraged to apply for participation in CODESRIA research methodology workshops.