The year 2016 saw the College of Human Sciences continue to increase its National Research Foundation (NRF) rated researchers, with 10 being added to the total number of 51 rated scholars.

One of these professors is Chris de Wet from the Department of Biblical and Ancient studies. He speaks here on his research on slavery and the early church and the lessons to be learnt, as well as the importance of applying an African lens to subjects previously only looked at from one perspective.

Q: How do you feel about your NRF rating?

A: I am delighted to have received a Y1 rating from the NRF. I am currently 34 years of age, and glad to still be counted among the emerging young researchers of South Africa. The rating process, albeit daunting and time-consuming, helped me to assess where my research came from and how it developed, where it currently is, and where I want it to be in the next five years. It was a reflective and reflexive process that, I believe, every academic should undertake.

Q: Why did you become an academic?

A: I feel that I was born to be an academic—it is not a job to me, it is a passion. I always had an inquisitive and discovering personality. When I started my studies in Theology in 2001 at the University of Johannesburg (then still RAU), and especially became acquainted with the ancient world and its languages, I simply knew that I wanted to become an academic.

Q: Please tell us about your research interests and your area of research? 

A: My research interests lie in the social and cultural history of early Christianity in the Roman Empire. My work has focused mostly on the institution of slavery in the ancient world. My 2015 book, Preaching Bondage, investigates how the early church dealt with the problem of slavery. In my second book, The Unbound God, I specifically look at how slavery as a discourse has shaped early Christian thought. Unfortunately most, but not all, early Christian authors accepted slavery as a daily part of their existence, and did not fight for its abolition. In this regard, slavery became a key discourse in how ancient persons understood their place in the world and their relation to one another and the divine.

Q: Why is your research important for the country/continent?

A: Slavery, gender injustice, and religious violence have always been, sadly, a part of South Africa’s history. By understanding our past, we can better make sense of our present, and responsibly engage the future. By studying past conceptualisations of social injustice, we can be better analysts and activists against injustice in our current society.

Q: Why is it important that Unisa – as the African university shaping futures in the service of humanity – be producers of such knowledge?

A: Religion is still a major and even, in some cases, decisive factor in our society. There is a need to approach past instances of social and religious injustice from an African perspective, and I believe Unisa is perfectly and uniquely positioned to be such an African voice, because of our values but also because of our commitment to ODL. For too long the histories of social injustice and religiosities have been reconstructed without an African voice and African perspective.

In order to truly have balanced and critical historiography, there is a need for an African presence. Many of the discourses, both negative and positive, of the ancient world are still active in South African and African societies. This is especially because of the popularity of biblical discourse and ethics in Africa.

I believe religion still has a part to play and a role in our society, but there is a need for critical examination and deconstruction of these religious discourses and practices in order to better understand and fight social injustice. In my own research I hope to participate in this engagement, and to be the vision of Unisa locally and internationally.

Q: Are there any new projects you are working on, project/s that are in the planning stages that you are excited about and can share with us?

A: My next research projects will examine ancient understandings of gender (looking especially from the perspective of health, medicine, and disability in the ancient world), particularly masculinity, and also at the dynamics of religious violence and religious conflict in the ancient world. I am especially excited to investigate and compare ancient healthcare and medicine with that of our own context, and to see how this affects our understanding of gender and sexuality today.

Q: What have been the most exciting/ interesting parts of your academic journey at Unisa?

A: The best part of my journey at Unisa is having the most wonderful and supportive colleagues in my department. They challenge me, and I am convinced that my research (and rating) would not have been at this level had it not been for them. Furthermore, in my opinion, Unisa is the best university where one can be a researcher. The opportunities, grants, and incentives provided by the university are unmatched—I can say this confidently having had much experience in research overseas.

Q:  Any last words you would like to share?

A: By understanding our past, we can better make sense of our present, and responsibly engage the future, with hope and dignity.

* Compiled by Rivonia Naidu-Hoffmeester (CHS communications and marketing)