Chair of the Department
Senior Lecturer
BA Hons, MA (Classics) University of Natal, Durban
PhD (Classics), University of Exeter
Office: Arts 338
Email: masters@sun.ac.za
Curriculum Vitae
About
I am a scholar of classical material culture and I’ve been intrigued with the ancient world since my grandmother thrilled me with stories of visits to the Athenian Acropolis, the Colosseum of Rome and the caldera of Vesuvius. My research interests focus on classical art and visual/material culture. My current research involves the reception of classical art in contemporary African art, which is a very rich and novel area or researh. I also work on the general reception of classics in Southern Africa, escpecially the decolonisation and relevance of Classics in Africa. I have also worked on collections of ancient artefacts in South African Museums, including, the collection at Iziko Museums of South Africa in Cape Town, where I am a Research Associate.
First-hand experience with objects from antiquity presents an ideal teaching and learning opportunity and handling ancient artefacts is definitely one of the highlights of my job. The tactile nature of the objects brings the past into relief alongside the present, highlighting the thread of humanity that joins us to people who lived thousands of years ago.
I am passionate about connecting with other scholars of classics in Africa (and am building a directory), research, postgraduate development, supervision, mentorship and teaching and enjoy using creative projects and playful perspectives (like Lego Classicism) to engage students’ creative and critical thinking and approach issues of contemporary relevance.
I am also very pleased to have been initiated into the Lego Classicists Family in 2020.
Areas of Specialisation
The reception of classical themes and forms in contemporary African art
Greek art and material culture
Roman Imperial material culture
Iconography and the language of images on Greek pottery
Antiquities collections in South Africa
Classical reception in South Africa
Courses in 2023
Ancient Cultures 221/321 Reading Greek Art
Ancient Cultures Honours: Ancient Classical Sculpture
Postgraduate Research Skills and Methods
Current Research Projects
Database of Greek and Roman antiquities in South African Collections
Reception of Classical art in contemporary African Art
South Africa, Greece, Rome: a digital museum
Selected Publications - Books
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Masters, S., Nzungu, I. & G.R. Parker (eds.). (u)Mzantsi Classics: Dialogues from Southern Africa. Cape Town: African Minds; Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. 2022.
Selected Publications - Articles and Essays
Masters, S. 2022. All Rhodes lead to Rome? Re-thinking the Commemorative Landscape in South Africa after The Fall. In S. Masters, I. Nzungu, and G.R. Parker (eds.),
(u)Mzantsi Classics: Dialogues from Southern Africa. Cape Town: African Minds and Liverpool, Liverpool University Press.
Masters, S. & F. Naether. 2021. 'South Africa and the Ancient World. Artefacts and their Use in Teaching and Outreach'. In van Dijk-Coombes, R., Swanepoel, L & G. Kotze. From Stone Age to Stellenbosch: Studies on the Ancient Near East in Honour of Izak (Sakkie) Cornelius. Munster: Zaphon.
Masters, S. 2021. A Woman in Danger or a Dangerous Woman? "Helen"on Archaic Attic Vases. In C. Lang-Auinger and E. Trinl (eds.), Greek Vases as a Medium of Communication. Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum Österreich Beiheft 3. Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press.
Masters, S. 2018. Museum Space and Displacement: Collecting Classical Antiquities in South Africa. In G. Parker (ed.),
South Africa, Greece and Rome: Classical Confrontations, 283–315. Cambridge: Cambridge Unviersity Press.
Masters, S & A. Andrason. 2017. (Un)Identifying Helen and Paris in Late Fifth Century BCE Athenian Vase-Painting: How Context is Crucial. In D. Rodríguez Perez,
Greek Art in Context. Current Approaches to Archaeological and Art Historical Research. London: Routledge..
Masters S. & T. Welman. 2015. Disrupting Context: Making a Case for the Digital Curation of Classical Antiquities in South Africa. Akroterion 60: 83–99.
Awards and Affiliations
Honorary Research Fellow, College of Humanities, Department of Classics and Ancient History, Exeter University (2022)
Honorary Research Associate, Iziko Museums of South Africa, Cape Town (2021)
Mellon Academic Staff Development Programme Award (2014)
NRF Thuthuka Grant (2013-2015)
NRF Prestige Scholarship for PhD
Vogel Scholarship for travel abroad (2008)
Service/Committees
Vice-chair, Classical Association of South Africa, Western Cape (2021-2023)
External examiner, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 2020-current School of Languages, Classics section
Member of the editorial board of the journal
Akroterion
Advisor, Living Antiquity Schools Project
External examining for University of Cape Town School of Languages and Literatures, Classics section 2012-2017
Stellenbosch University Academic Offering Committee Vice-chair 2016-2017, Member 2013-2017