In Conversation With: Recent Episodes
Vanessa von der Heyde
Listen in as we chat to the diverse faculty that lecture and convene the modules and degree programmes we offer through Stellenbosch University, hosted here at the Sustainability Institute. This series offers you snapshots of the content we explore in our degree programmes, both at postgrad and undergrad level. We hope to bring you some interesting insights into the bigger questions we are asking ourselves on how to create regenerative and just futures in a world that is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.
In this episode Jess chats with Prof Mark Swilling about his module called Applied Economics, which covers South Africa's political economy and how it has evolved historically. Mark co-facilitates the module with Dr Nthabiseng Mohlakoana, with whom he has also recently co-developed an alternative economic framework centred around post-COVID recovery, commissioned by Prof Thuli Madonsela. Jess and Mark also chat about the next phase of Mark's work focused on the building of a general non-equilibrium model of economics, which he will be doing at Georgetown University. The big question Mark is asking in his work is how to reconcile complexity with directionality in the world today.
Some readings recommended by Mark:
- "Shadow of Liberation: Contestation and Compromise in the Economic and Social Policy of the African National Congress, 1943-1996" by Robert Van Niekerk and Vishnu Padayachee
- "Building State Capability: Evidence, Analysis, Action" by Lant Pritchett, Matt Andrews, and Michael Woolcock
- "The Transformation of Intimacy: Sexuality, Love, and Eroticism in Modern Societies" by Anthony Giddens
In Episode 8 of the series Vanessa chats to Paul Currie, co-convenor of the Sustainable Cities module at the SI and manager of the Urban Systems Unit at ICLEI Africa. He is a researcher of African urban resource and service systems, with interest in connecting quantitative analysis with storytelling and visual elicitation. His research and facilitation aim to further understand urban metabolism and circular development in African contexts. Vanessa and Paul chat about what some of the biggest challenges are that urbanisation presents, what exactly a Smart City is, and what Paul's experiences are of working in this fascinating space. Authors mentioned by Paul: For further reading on Sustainable African Cities look up Mark Swilling and Edgar Pieterse, some of the most prominent voices in the field, as well as Geci Karuri-Sebina who is part of the South African Cities Network, African Centre for Cities and Wits University. Paul has also been enjoying sci-fi and fantasy fiction by African authors, particularly Nnedi Okorafor and Tomi Adayemi.
In this episode Jess Schulschenk chats with Nina Callaghan about a module that she co-facilitated recently, called Globalisation, Governance and Development. Nina and Jess chat about the themes covered in the module, including how toxic masculinity links to the topic. Nina says she is fascinated in finding deeper understanding on how we are complicit in the systems that oppress us. She also speaks about what is most needed in a "post-COVID" world is investment in de-globalisation and regionalism that helps guard us against the vulnerabilities of a hyperconnected world. What we need most now, she says, is not a deluge of food aid, but rather long term investments in soil health, robust local food systems, and supporting the formalisation of informal trade.
Further reading:
Nina recommends looking up Bayo Akomolafe (https://bayoakomolafe.net/#up) and Carolyn C. (https://www.patreon.com/recoveryfortherevolution).
Find out more about Nina Callaghan here: http://www0.sun.ac.za/cst/person/nina-callaghan/
Jeeten Morar and Cecile Feront lecture on the Corporate Governance and Sustainable Enterprise module, here at the Sustainability Institute in Stellenbosch, South Africa. They share insights into how we could embed sustainability into corporates and financial institutions, what drives change in the corporate and financial sector, and the fallacy of thinking paper bags are more sustainable than plastic bags. Enjoy the conversation with Jeeten and Cecile.
Megan Davies is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Complex Systems in Transition at Stellenbosch University, and convenes the Renewable Energy Policy and Renewable Energy Financing modules here at the Sustainability Institute. In this Episode Megan shares more about her work, and how renewable energy is so much more than just solar panels, wind turbines, and complicated excel spreadsheets. Jess and Megan discuss how energy is about how we relate to each other and our resources, how we shape our economy and political systems, and how we move through the world as responsible troublemakers to support the transition to a more just and generative future.
Here are some of the books Megan mentions:
The Birth of Energy by Cara New Daggett: https://www.dukeupress.edu/the-birth-of-energy
Carbon Democracy by Timothy Mitchell: https://www.versobooks.com/books/1020-carbon-democracy
Footprints by David Farrier https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780008286347/footprints/
Join us as we chat to Odi Selomane, lecturer and convenor of the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services module at the Sustainability Institute. We chat about planetary boundaries, genetic diversity, and how these high level concepts are manifesting on a local scale. We also talked about how equity is linked to biodiversity, and where the biggest leverage for change lies. Odi also shared some great books that he is reading in his personal time. They are listed below.
We hope you enjoy the 4th Episode of In Conversation With, hosted by the Sustainability Institute.
The books Odi is currently reading:
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
Capital and Ideology by Thomas Piketty
Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O'Neil
In our third episode we chat to Candice Kelly, who is the lecturer and course convenor for the Food Security and Globalised Agriculture postgrad module. We caught up with Candice after she taught her module at the SI, and chatted to her about how the COVID-19 crisis is highlighting the serious food security issues in the country, what interesting initiatives have come out of this as a response to the exacerbated impact of COVID-19, and what we as individuals can start doing immediately to make a positive impact on some of these challenges.
If you would like to dig further into this topic here are some of the resources that Candice mentioned:
Check out: Southern Africa Food Lab website and Food Climate Research Network
Read: Food Rebellions! by Raj Patel and Eric Holt Giménez
Watch: Chef's Table and Unnatural Selection on Netflix
Listen to: KUT - The Secret Ingredient Podcast
Here are just a few of the many cool initiatives to check out and support to spread your "Food Rand":
- Food Flow
- UCook Market Box
- Good to Gather
- Living Soils Community Learning Farm
- Abalobi Fisheries
- Down to Earth
Welcome to the second episode of “In Conversation With”. Today we are speaking with Professor Josephine Musango who lectures in System Dynamics Modelling on the postgraduate diploma in Sustainable Development, hosted here at the Sustainability Institute.
Josephine is a Professor with the School of Public Leadership at Stellenbosch University. She holds a Transdisciplinary Doctorate in Sustainable Development and a Masters Degree in Agricultural Economics, both from Stellenbosch University.
Josephine was one of the Founding Members of the South Africa System Dynamics Chapter where she served as Organizing Secretary and vice-President, and currently serves as an Advisor of the Chapter. She is also serving as a Policy Council Member of the International System Dynamics Society. She has published widely in peer reviewed journals and presented at international and local conferences.
Most recently, and very impressively, she has been awarded one of only two research chairs in South Africa by a trilateral research chair initiative; the SA-AFRICA-UK Trilateral South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI).
Resources mentioned in the podcast:
- South African System Dynamics Chapter
- Josephine's You Tube Channel: System Dynamics Simplified
Book Recommendations:
- The Limits to Growth
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
Find out more about Josephine's work
Dr Rika Preiser is a senior researcher with the Centre for Complex Systems in Transition at Stellenbosch University, and is the course convenor for the module in Complexity and Systems Thinking in the Postgraduate Diploma Programme in Sustainable Development which is hosted at the Sustainability Institute.
In this first episode of our new podcast series "In Conversation With" Dr Jess Schulschenk, Director of the Sustainability Institute, chats with Rika about the concepts and ideas that underpin complexity and systems thinking, what is emerging in the field of complexity, what research questions Rika is excited about exploring, and what books she is currently reading.
For more on Rika's work and publications please go to https://www0.sun.ac.za/cst/person/rika-preiser/.
The books Rika refers to in the podcast can be found here:
Brian Arthur - The Nature of Technology: https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Technology-What-How-Evolves-ebook/dp/B002ISDCKW
Robert Johnson - Transformation: https://www.loot.co.za/product/robert-a-johnson-transformation/lycn-189-g140
