The South Africa Conversations 2023 will feature Holberg Laureate Sheila Jasanoff, Professor Achille Mbembe and other prominent scholars in a series of events taking place at WiSER, University of the Witwatersrand 1–3 November. All events will be streamed.
On occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Holberg Prize, a series of events in Johannesburg between 1 and 3 November are co-hosted by the Holberg Prize and the Innovation Foundation for Democracy.
Keynote speakers at the 2023 South Africa Conversations are Holberg Laureate and Professor Sheila Jasanoff, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University and Professor Achille Mbembe, Director or the Innovation Foundation for Democracy. They will be joined by key South African academics and key research stakeholders from relevant organizations to discuss the technological, political and societal changes we see in our time, and their implications both globally and in the perspectives of the global south.
Programme
DAY 1 – WEDNESDAY, 1 NOVEMBER
Reception hosted by the Holberg Prize
Time: 17:00 – 18:00 SAST (16:00–17:00 CET)
Venue: WISER Reception Area, 6th Floor Richard Ward Building, East Campus
Constitutions 2.0: Self, Sovereignty, and Scale in the Age of AI
Time: 18:00 – 19:30 SAST (17:00–18:30 CET)
Venue: WiSER, 6th Floor Richard Ward Building, University of the Witwatersrand
Link to livestream
Speakers:
- Professor Jørgen Sejersted, Chair of the Holberg Board, University of Bergen
- Professor Sheila Jasanoff, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University
- Professor Achille Mbembe, Director, Innovation Foundation for Democracy, University of the Witwatersrand
- Chaired by Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, Vice Chancellor, University of the Witwatersrand
Dinner for invited guests
Time: 20:00 SAST (19:00 CET)
DAY 2 – THURSDAY, 2 NOVEMBER
Lunch for invited guests, hosted by the Royal Norwegian Embassy
Time: 12:30 – 13:45 SAST (11:30–12:45 CET)
Co-production in the Anthropocene: Views from the South
Time: 14:00 – 15:30 SAST (13:00–14:30 CET)
Link to livestream
Speakers:
- Professor Sheila Jasanoff, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University
- Professor Lesley Green, Professor of Anthropology and Director of Environmental Humanities South, University of Cape Town
- Professor Dilip Menon, Department of International Relations, University of the Witwatersrand
- Professor Alf Gunvald Nilsen, Director, Center for Asian Studies in Africa, University of Pretoria
- Chaired by Achille Mbembe, Director, Innovation Foundation for Democracy, University of the Witwatersrand
Tea / Coffee
Time: 15:30 – 16:00 SAST (14:30–15:00 CET)
Symposium on Democracy & the Future of Institutions
Time: 16:00 – 17:30 SAST (15:00–16:30 CET)
Venue: WiSER, 6th Floor Richard Ward Building, University of the Witwatersrand
Link to livestream
Speakers:
- Professor Sheila Jasanoff, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University
- Dr. Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, Department of International Relations, University of the Witwatersrand
- Professor Keith Breckenridge, Co-Director of the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of the Witswatersrand
- Chaired by Achille Mbembe, Director, Innovation Foundation for Democracy, University of the Witwatersrand
Dinner for invited guests
Time: 18:00 SAST (17:00 CET)
DAY 3 – FRIDAY, 3 NOVEMBER
Lunch hosted by the Innovation foundation for Democracy and WiSER
Time: 12:00 – 14:00 SAST (11:00–13:00 CET)
Imagining, Framing, Disciplining
Time: 14:00 – 16:00 SAST (13:00–15:00 CET)
Venue: WiSER, 6th Floor Richard Ward Building, University of the Witwatersrand
Link to livestream
Speakers:
- Professor Sheila Jasanoff, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University
- Professor Hlonipha Mokoena, WiSER, University of the Witwatersrand
- Professor Francis Nyamnjoh, University of Cape Town
- Chaired by Professor Sarah Nuttall, WiSER, University of the Witwatersrand
Dinner for invited guests
Time: 18:30 SAST (17:30 CET)
Related Content
Constitutions 2.0: Self, Sovereignty, and Scale in the Age of AI
Keynote by Professor Sheila Jasanoff followed by commentary and a conversation with Professor Achille Mbembe and moderator Professor Zeblon Vilakazi.
Co-production in the Anthropocene: Views from the South
In this symposium the speakers each present their perspectives on co-production in the Anthropocene before engaging in a moderated panel…
Symposium on Democracy & the Future of Institutions
This symposium will take the form of an moderated open-ended panel discussion, in which the participants seek answers and insight…
Imagining, Framing, Disciplining
In this session, the participants will engage in an open-ended conversation and consider what acts of public imagination are most…
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Organizers
The Holberg Prize, established by the Norwegian Parliament in 2003, is an international prize worth NOK 6,000,000, awarded annually to a scholar who has made outstanding contributions to research in the humanities, social science, law or theology, either in one of these fields or through interdisciplinary work. The Holberg Prize is funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research and hosted by the University of Bergen, Norway.
The Innovation Foundation for Democracy is a new initiative that was established in 2022. The Foundation aims to rejuvenate democracy in Africa, particularly amongst young people, through research and training initiatives and innovative democratic projects. The Foundation is hosted by the Wits University from where it serves the continent.