Stellenbosch University breaks new ground with master's degree on violent histories and repair

Said to be a first of its kind in South Africa, Stellenbosch University (SU) launching a new interdisciplinary master’s degree programme aimed at equipping students with critical decolonial tools to study and address the transgenerational impact of violent histories.

Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, SARChI Chair in Violent Histories and Transgenerational Trauma and Director of AVReQ, Prof Pumla Gqola, who will be a guest lecturer in the programme, and Dr Anell Daries, recently appointed lecturer at AVReQ in the role of coordinator of the new MPhil programme.

The MPhil in Violent Histories and Repair, to be presented by SU’s Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and the Reparative Quest (AVReQ), will be offered from 2026.

“The programme aims to educate, train and mentor emerging scholars and young researchers, empowering them to explore new terrains of investigation into the complex and enduring legacies of violent histories,” explains Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, SARChI Chair in Violent Histories and Transgenerational Trauma and Director of AVReQ.

“The programme also includes a critical examination of psychosocial processes of repair to explore new imaginaries of what it means to repair or heal violent pasts.”

She adds that the programme focusses on the scope of research on the contemporary and continuing transgenerational legacies of violent histories such as genocide, slavery, colonial-era violence and apartheid, while it will also examine reparative practices and peacebuilding approaches adopted in selected postcolonial and post-conflict contexts.

The programme responds to the growing focus in higher education on memory studies, peacebuilding practices, and decolonial studies on the enduring impact of violent histories. It consists of five compulsory modules:

Afterlife of Violent Histories;
Research Methodology and Ethics for Violent Histories;
Contextual Perspectives on Trauma Testimonies;
Historical Trauma and Redress;
and a research thesis.

Students will be required to attend lectures and seminars in person. Supervisors and students may jointly arrange the structure of supervision for the completion of the thesis in the second year of the programme.

Closing date for applications: South African students: 31 October / International students: 31 August.