Association for the Study of Religion in Southern Africa (ASRSA)

22/07/2026

STATEMENT ON THE PROTECTION OF ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND PAN-AFRICAN SCHOLARSHIP IN SOUTH AFRICA

The Africa Coalition for Academic Freedom- ACAF has issued a statement expressing concern over recent public discourse in South Africa regarding the employment of foreign academics in public universities. While recognising the importance of expanding opportunities for South African scholars, the statement emphasises that academic appointments should be based on merit, competence and institutional needs rather than nationality. ACAF warns that narratives targeting foreign academics risk fuelling xenophobia, undermining academic freedom and weakening continental collaboration, and calls on policymakers, higher education institutions and regional bodies to uphold academic freedom, institutional autonomy and the free movement of scholars across Africa.

Read the full ACAF Statement here:
https://www.acafafrica.org/news-post.html =220f581e-ccf2-4a8e-9b6d-f6d2868d3262

20/07/2026

We are excited to invite you to participate in the ASRSA Annual Congress. Kindly submit your abstract.

09/07/2026

🔗 *Register:* [https://bit.ly/casr2026rsvp](https://bit.ly/casr2026rsvp)
📖 *Programme & Abstract Booklet:* [https://bit.ly/casr2026ap](https://bit.ly/casr2026ap)
💻 *MS Teams:* [https://bit.ly/casr2026t](https://bit.ly/casr2026t)

28/06/2026

IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING!!! 🙌🏼

This September, the University of Johannesburg, APK Campus is hosting the African debut of the award-winning documentary, “1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture”.

The film explores how the word "homosexual" was introduced into the Bible in 1946 through a mistranslation and the profound impact this has had on LGBTQIA+ communities. The documentary has received international recognition, including the Audience Award at DOC NYC and Best of Fest at Palm Springs.

The film's director, Sharon "Rocky" Roggio, associate producer Josie Peres, and renowned human rights defender Dr Lady Phyll will be visiting South Africa from the USA and UK to attend the screening and panel discussion at the UJ Arts Centre on 23 September 2026.

RSVP below for your FREE entry to the screening for 23rd September 2026 17:30 - 21:00.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScKb1GV6H1-I2WgVZaC5nLczyNT24JIfzpVBmrmDAIN7ma73w/viewform?pli=1&pli=1

#1946

21/04/2026

Enterprise podcasting made simple.

21/04/2026

New article published in the Journal of Holy Land and Palestine Studies, by Dr Thandi Gamedze affiliated with the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice at the University of the Western Cape!

In her article, titled: “A Critique of Christian Zionism in South Africa: An Analytical Mapping”. Dr Gamedze explores the crucial issue of Christian Zionism in South Africa and its roots in British settler-colonialism and U.S. Pentecostal, Charismatic, and Evangelical Christianity. Dr Gamedze, through her research, opens the door to a new vantage point on how Zionism functions in religious contexts within the Global South.

The Abstract:

“Israeli apartheid, occupation, and settler colonialism is sustained through a robust lattice, the material of which is both military and ideological. Christian Zionism has been recognised as arguably the most important aspect of the latter. While in many respects, the Global North — and the United States in particular — represents the most powerful stronghold of Christian Zionism, for numerous reasons, the necessity of understanding its manifestation within the Global South is becoming more recognised. South Africa, as a majority Christian context, and a country with a deeply contested historical and contemporary relationship with Israel, represents an interesting case in this regard. As of yet, scholarly work exploring Christian Zionism in South Africa is largely absent. This article situates itself in this gap through providing an initial broad lay of the land in terms of Christian Zionism's manifestation in South Africa through an initial scoping and mapping of

Read below! ⬇️
https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/10.3366/hlps.2026.0368

Israeli apartheid, occupation, and settler colonialism is sustained through a robust lattice, the material of which is both military and ideological. Christian Zionism has been recognised as arguably the most important aspect of the latter. While in many respects, the Global North — and the Unite....

15/04/2026

Dear colleagues, please participate in this wonderful study!

UCT African Feminist Studies Masters candidate Bhasani Mlambo is seeking participants for research on Black q***r people's experiences of religious belonging. If you are interested in participating, email [email protected] for more information.

14/04/2026

Why need the Humanities and Social Sciences, now more than ever!

In joining the American Council of Learned Societies’s new campaign; and , we echo the importance of Humanities and Social Science research in post-apartheid South Africa.

Learn more and join the conversation throughout 13–17 April: https://www.acls.org/talkabouthumanities/

Today our environments are increasingly fraught with intolerance and ignorance, while we (as scholars of the humanities and social sciences) are often times perceived as “irrelevant” or “outdated” in the digital age, marked by what’s known as the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR).

And yet, while some people today tend to scoff at the humanities and social sciences as “soft”, “negligible” or even “useless” (compared to STEM) – the biggest voices against tyranny, oppression, marginalisation, and injustice: usually find themselves among our ranks. Not only this, but the very foundations of academia itself lie in the humanities! Including but not limited to: Philosophy, History, Psychology, Linguistics, Religion, Sociology, Literature, Art and even Politics – notwithstanding the empirical sciences!

Before we had technology, humans believed nature was imbued with a living divine. Before we had LLMs and GenAI, we invented language and writing ourselves. Before we discovered gravity, we thought about our existence: who are we? why are we here? What is suffering and pain? Are we alone? How does consciousness work? Where does it come from? When did everything begin? Does life have a meaning?

Even in today’s tech-driven society, these mysteries are no less relevant: as we are still grappling with these questions. They remain just as important now, as they were billions of years ago.

The humanities and social sciences
have always explored the intangible aspects of what makes us human: the essence of our existence as thinking, perceiving, and feeling creatures. Something that technologies such as Alternative Intelligence and Robots (no matter how advanced they are) can never truly capture nor emulate.

Furthermore, we read poetry at funerals and weddings; quote books in speeches and we tell stories to our children and grandchildren. We continue to document and preserve intangible histories, ontologies, and traditions of our diverse human existence for future generations to learn from and to build on. The Humanities and Social Sciences may not have labs, but we have tapestries that we have continually been weaving since the dawn of time.

The myriad disciplines of the Humanities and Social Sciences have been central to our country’s past, and even present struggles for liberation. Including our longing for a shared human identity in our rainbow nation. A shared identity we call ubuntu!

As the famous isiZulu maxim says: “Umuntu, ngumuntu, ngabantu.” I am, because you are, therefore we are!

Image: “Art Is the Infographics of Epistemology” (Oil On Canvass) by Kobus Kapp.

14/04/2026

We’re joining the American Council of Learned Societies in amplifying the message that we need more scholars.

At JSTOR, we work with librarians, educators, and researchers who rely on humanities scholarship to support teaching and learning. Every day, we see how this scholarship connects people to the past and helps them engage more deeply with the world.

We’re participating in this campaign to highlight the ongoing importance of humanities research and to support the people who create and use it.

Learn how to participate: https://bit.ly/3Q8w3AD



Image: Frank Millet, A Cosey Corner, 1884. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

14/04/2026

CALL FOR REVIEWERS: Journal for the Study of Religion (JSR)

The Journal for the Study of Religion (JSR) invites suitably qualified scholars to join its pool of peer reviewers!

As a biannual, peer-reviewed, open access journal affiliated with the Association for the Study of Religion in Southern Africa, JSR is committed to advancing rigorous and accessible scholarship on religion, with a particular focus on the Global South and the lived realities of religion in Sub-Saharan Africa.

We welcome expressions of interest from researchers across the field of Religious Studies and related disciplines, including (but not limited to):

• Phenomenology of religion
• Comparative religion
• African and Indigenous religions
• New religious movements
• Religion and politics, media, and society
• Theology, ethics, and philosophy of religion

Reviewers play a vital role in maintaining the academic quality, integrity, and credibility of the journal. While this is an unpaid role, it offers the opportunity to contribute to the development of scholarship in the field, remain engaged with emerging research, and support a vibrant academic community.

JSR adheres to best practice guidelines as outlined by the Academy of Science of South Africa and the Committee on Publication Ethics.

Requirements:
• A completed postgraduate qualification (preferably a PhD) in Religious Studies or a related field
• Demonstrated research expertise and publication record
• Commitment to providing timely, constructive, and ethical reviews

How to apply:
Interested scholars are invited to register as reviewers on the journal’s online platform and indicate their areas of expertise. Or send an email with your information to Dr Tristán Kapp, [email protected]

Join us in strengthening critical, inclusive, and globally relevant scholarship in the study of religion.