Historical Trauma and Transformation
Welcome to Stellenbosch University

Programme Overview

Research/Research Labs


The HTT programme is based on three pillars of research: 

  • Historical Trauma and its Transgenrational Transmission
  • Empathy: Relevance to Transformation
  • Violence and its Impact on Gender Relationships

The research projects currently running in the department are:

  1. Trauma, Memory and Representations of the Past
  2. Narratives of Change and Transformation
  3. Exploring Empathy in Jewish-German Dialogue
  4. Empathy: The Phenomenology and Neuroscience of Care and Solidarity

Read more here.


Research 1.jpg
Research Team, From Back: Landi Meiring, Melike Fourie, Kim Wale, Mandisa Malinga

Research Meetings & Workshops

Our team of researchers, postdoctoral fellows and postgraduate students meet regularly to discuss the various research and writing projects that form part of HTT's research activities. These weekly meetings help to build a strong sense of identity for the HTT research team, and they involve three different formats: research meetings; research & reflection; research workshops. Research meetings are an important opportunity for the HTT team to connect with each member's work. The meetings also provide space for robust discussion of research in progress. Discussions often open up conversations exploring new angles to members' various research projects. The research & reflection meetings provide thoughtful engagement with issues of current debate in South Africa, such as incidents of racism and racial outbursts in social media, students' protests, and violence and other events that inspire questions that might suggest themes and topics to include in the HTT research and public dialogue programme. Because of the diversity of the HTT research team, the research and reflection meetings almost always involve moments of learning and growth beyond the intellectual realm. These meetings are some of the most lively and constructive dialogue sessions. Finally, the research workshops are important for developing research capacity and for creating a research culture within which individuals and teams of researchers can flourish, lift the research performance, and produce sustained quality research outputs. The research workshops have been in the form of writing retreats and in-house presentations of work in progress. The in-house presentations provide an intimate setting for faculty staff, students, visiting and post-doctoral fellows to share current research at various stages of completion.