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in 2022, inclusive of the first clinical rotation. This scholarship, epistemologies and systems of thought
brings the goal of complete accreditation for the full so as to excavate the African praxes of our regions to
six-year programme closer. write an inclusive narrative of progress.” Revitalising
the humanities is a central component of the
Beyond training medical and healthcare workers, the University’s overall academic strategy to reimagine
University is also deploying its full range of research the transformative potential of all disciplines in the
and innovation capabilities in the search for new quest to awaken African scholarship and systems
diagnostic, therapeutic and vaccine technologies. of thought. This, in turn, will also contribute to the
These will be directed towards the fight against University’s efforts to promote social cohesion and
pandemics, legacy communicable diseases such democratic citizenship by fostering the depth of
as TB and HIV/AIDS, and climate-related health critical, transdisciplinary thinking required to identify
risks of the future. The use of big data analytics, innovative solutions to persistent societal and
artificial intelligence, machine, and deep learning planetary challenges.
tools, together with Mandela University’s long-
standing capabilities in mobile, remote sensing While developing a vision and strategic plan, the
and robotic technologies, will be leveraged as Faculty of Humanities has already undertaken
further crucial assets. As an example, an exciting various activities towards the realisation of this vision
new addition to the Medical School was the launch to reposition the humanities and social sciences.
of the research chair in nanomedicine in 2021 who This includes hosting curriculum conversations
has developed a transdisciplinary nanomedicine to promote critical engagement on key issues
platform for postgraduate students pursuing such as decolonisation and Africanisation of the
groundbreaking research. curriculum, (un)-representativeness, inaccessibility,
and privilege in the curriculum. Alongside the
The medical school is intentionally anchored on the focus on decoloniality, indigenous knowledges and
University’s Missionvale Campus in Gqeberha to interrogating Western hegemonies, other new areas
engender urban renewal and regeneration for the of study and research are emerging in the Faculty
benefit of surrounding communities. The University is of Humanities, such as digital humanities and
actively pursuing partnerships with local government, animation. The faculty intentionally views Africa as
business, other educational institutions, and public a source of knowledge production to diversify and
and private health service providers to promote deepen the arts, humanities, and social sciences
access to comprehensive health services as part of an canon and scientific knowledge base respectively.
integrated health and education innovation precinct. Progress towards achieving this has included the
launch of the Centre for Philosophy in Africa and the
Guided by the University’s humanising pedagogical Chair in Identities and Social Cohesion in Africa.
philosophy, the learning and teaching approach of
the medical programme makes extensive use of Gender and women studies
digital infrastructure and technologies that facilitate Gender and women studies was formalised as
connectivity with neighbouring hospitals, clinics, and a key strategic trajectory at Mandela University
other educational institutions, making it easier to through the launch of the Centre for Women and
collaborate beyond geographic divides. In so doing, Gender Studies (CWGS) in October 2019. CWGS
while the human and capital investments for the new is making a significant contribution to advancing
medical school are significant, the returns for public intersectional, inter-disciplinary approaches to the
health education and research will be even greater promotion of gender equality and transformation.
through improved health outcomes. As part of its educational and advocacy mandate,
the Centre is championing sectoral efforts to
Revitalising the humanities promote gender equity, including conducting
The VC’s inaugural address foregrounded the anti-GBV training among a range of stakeholders.
revitalisation of the humanities as one of the Through its programmatic work and intellectual
University’s key focus areas in the renewal of the leadership, the Centre has made impressive strides
academic project, asserting that: “The humanities, in establishing an Eastern Cape “gender corridor”
with open and malleable borders, are called upon by linking universities and scholars addressing
to use their innate potential to awaken African gender questions and who profile African women’s

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