British Academy International Fellow to explore Black intellectual history in South Africa at SOAS
Senior Lecturer in Political Theory Dr Ayesha Omar, currently at the University of Witwatersrand, will be hosted at SOAS University of London after being awarded the British Academy’s three-year International Fellowship.
The fellowship, offered by the British Academy for the first time in this iteration, includes salaried employment, research expenses and relocation allowance including an endorsement for the Global Talent Visa. Ayesha was awarded a total of £361,425.
Titled ‘Liberal Engagements of Black Intellectual History in South Africa’, Ayesha’s project will be utilising several archives in the UK and in South Africa which disclose the nuanced and varying ways liberalism was engaged and critiqued by black thinkers at different moments during Apartheid and the struggle for black freedom.
Speaking about her project, Ayesha said: “The project builds on the foundations of earlier research that I developed at Wits University which studied the intricate tapestry of Black intellectual history in South Africa. My project hopes to further explore these neglected archives by illuminating the myriad of ways in which black intellectuals engaged with and critiqued liberalism during segregation and Apartheid.”
The International Fellowships Programme is designed to enable early career researchers to develop their first steps in independent research internationally. Each award is expected to involve a specific and protected research focus.
Ayesha added: “International fellowships, like the one facilitated by the British Academy, offer multifaceted benefits. They facilitate cross-cultural exchange, promote a global perspective, and amplify the impact of research by leveraging diverse academic resources.”
“The choice to conduct this research at the SOAS holds immense significance. SOAS’s expertise in African studies and political theory, coupled with its diverse and dynamic academic environment, makes it an ideal platform to advance my project”
Ayesha is also a Mellon Early Career Scholars Fellow and a visiting scholar at University of Cambridge’s Centre for Political Thought.
