Job Details

  • Reference number: Unit 11 - E220428
  • Province: Western Cape
  • Type of engagement: Permanent appointment
  • Posted: November 18th
  • Remuneration package: The annual cost of employment, including benefits is R 1 419 049.

Background to Position

The AC Jordan Chair is a prestigious Chair located in the Centre for African Studies in the newly established department of African Studies & Linguistics at the University of Cape Town. In seeking to fill this position, the university is looking for a senior scholar with a strong record of publication, a commitment to the interdisciplinary field of African Studies, and the drive and vision to implement a set of socially engaged research and decolonial intellectual projects across the institution and beyond. Scholars from across the continent, and particularly from the global south, are welcome to apply. 

Job Description

Requirements and responsibilities: Specific tasks and responsibilities of the AC Jordan Chair in African Studies include the following:

  • To strategically consolidate the Centre for African Studies as a cross-faculty platform for socially engaged research.
  • To encourage and enable Africa-focused research and teaching across the institution, as part of the university’s 2030 vision to enhance human capacity on the continent and in the global south.
  • To establish partnerships and collaborations with institutions, projects, and individuals inside and outside of the academy, with the aim of strengthening ties between university-based researchers and modes of public scholarship and civic activism.
  • To strengthen linkages with colleagues and universities across the continent of Africa and beyond, as part of an expanded knowledge network.
  • To contribute to the graduate programme of the African Studies & Linguistics department and to provide student supervision.
  • To take a lead in fund-raising and networking to support Africa-focused research. • To raise the public profile of the department and the Centre for African Studies (including its Chairs and Research Units).
  • To contribute to the collective intellectual leadership of the department of African Studies & Linguistics, and to play a role in the management and administration of the department.

Inherent Criteria

In addition, it would be highly desirable if the candidate:

  • Has an established research interest in histories of knowledge production in/ on Africa, and a critical awareness of the kinds of social and political contexts at work in the field of African Studies.
  • contributes to and complement existing research directions in the department which are concerned with African and decolonial traditions of critical thought, debates and intellectual histories, public culture and heritage, indigenous knowledge systems, African languages, sociolinguistics, and land reform and restitution.
  • Has a demonstrable ability to work in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary ways.
  • Has an established set of networks and connections with organisations, institutions and individuals locally, across the continent of Africa, African diaspora, and across the global south.
  • Has the ability to work as part of a team in a large interdisciplinary department to promote African studies at UCT and beyond.

Application Requirement

To apply, please e-mail the below documents in a single pdf file:

  • UCT Application Form (download at https://uct.ac.za/staff/internal-vacancies)
  • Cover letter, and
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV) 

Please ensure the title and reference number are indicated in the subject line. An application which does not comply with the above requirements will be regarded as incomplete. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted

“UCT is a designated employer and is committed to the pursuit of excellence, diversity, and redress in achieving its equity targets in accordance with the Employment Equity Plan of the University and its Employment Equity goals and targets. Preference will be given to candidates from the under-represented designated groups. Our Employment Equity Policy is available at www.uct.ac.za/downloads/uct.ac.za/about/policies/eepolicy.pdf. UCT reserves the right not to appoint.

About University of Cape Town

“UCT is a community of exceptionally talented students, teachers and researchers – and a wide range of professional, administrative support and service staff – all of whom are committed to help change this world for the better. We encourage one another to work hard, not only to earn degrees or public recognition, but also to be leaders in this increasingly changing world. Our vision is to be an inclusive, research-intensive African university that addresses the challenges of our time with cutting-edge teaching, research and facilities. As a university we are committed to promoting transformation, to working tirelessly to guarantee the sustainability of our institution, and to ensuring excellence in all we do.”