The need to rethink established ways of understanding gender, knowledge and education took centre stage at the University of South Africa's (Unisa) Department of Leadership and Transformation's biannual conference themed, Shaping Global Change: Transforming Theories and Centring Difference, where scholars challenged conventional approaches to some of society’s most pressing problems. 

Through panel discussions and roundtable engagements, academics examined how colonial legacies, patriarchal systems and entrenched institutional practices continue to influence society, often limiting efforts to address gender-based violence, inequality and the transformation of higher education. 

The conference created a platform for critical intellectual engagement, encouraging participants to question dominant theories and explore alternative ways of understanding the world through African experiences, histories and knowledge systems. 

Central to the discussions was the argument that meaningful transformation requires more than changes to policies and institutional structures. It demands a fundamental reconsideration of how knowledge is produced, whose perspectives are recognised and how societies understand power, identity and humanity. 

One of the conference's key panel discussions explored the theme "Feminism, Womanism and Bosadi Theorisation in Practice", which speaks directly to Unisa's Catalytic Niche Area of Feminist/Womanist/Bosadi Theorisations. 

Chaired by Prof Puleng Segalo, incumbent of Unisa's Chief Albert Luthuli Research Chair, the discussion examined the relationship between femicide, misogyny, homophobia and the historical systems of power that continue to shape social relations. 

Segalo challenged participants to consider violence against women and gender-diverse people not as isolated incidents, but as interconnected manifestations of deeper structural inequalities. 

She paid tribute to women whose lives have been lost to violence, stressing that their deaths serve as a reminder that safety remains an unfulfilled promise for many women, girls and gender-diverse people in society. 

"Responding to femicide requires more than just our legal and criminal justice responses, it requires us to recognise that violence against women, hostility towards LGBTQ+ persons, and broader forms of exclusion are interconnected expressions of the same logic that ranks people according to power rather than humanity," she said. 

Setting the tone for the discussion, Segalo presented a thought-provoking argument about the historical roots of gender-based violence and discrimination. 

"Femicide, misogyny, and homophobia are not separate crises as we know them; they are interconnected manifestations of colonial patriarchal order that continue to organise whose lives are protected, whose voices are heard, and whose humanity is recognised."

Her remarks challenged scholars to examine the systems that sustain discrimination and violence, rather than focusing exclusively on their individual manifestations. 

The discussion also highlighted the importance of developing theories and responses that reflect the lived experiences of African communities. 

Prof Babalwa Magoqwana, Director of the Centre for Women and Gender Studies at Nelson Mandela University

Prof Babalwa Magoqwana, Director of the Centre for Women and Gender Studies at Nelson Mandela University, examined the ongoing tensions between interpretations of African culture and women's constitutional rights in South Africa. 

She argued that debates about culture, tradition and women's rights remain contested, particularly amid what she described as the emergence of neotraditionalism. 

Magoqwana questioned how contemporary understandings of African societies have been influenced by historical developments in Europe, including the Industrial and French revolutions. 

"A lot of what happens in our societies now is shaped by the history of the West in terms of how they dealt with the Industrial and French revolutions," she argued. 

She emphasised the importance of intergenerational dialogue, calling on elders and younger people to engage more meaningfully on questions of accountability, social change and the growing pessimism surrounding liberal democracy. 

According to Magoqwana, addressing contemporary social challenges requires scholars to explore research methodologies grounded in the histories and experiences of the societies they seek to understand. 

She cautioned against approaches that reproduce the devaluation of women and urged academics to develop concepts and theories rooted in African languages and lived realities. 

Her contribution highlighted the importance of producing knowledge that is relevant to communities and capable of informing meaningful social transformation.  

Prof Sakhumzi Mfecane, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of the Western Cape

Prof Sakhumzi Mfecane, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of the Western Cape, extended the discussion by examining how masculinity has been understood and theorised within African societies. 

Drawing on his research into African-centred theories of masculinity, Mfecane argued that dominant understandings of masculinity have become entrenched in African contexts, making it necessary to interrogate the colonial assumptions that continue to shape gender relations. 

He encouraged scholars to explore alternative ways of understanding masculinity that move beyond inherited colonial frameworks. 

For Mfecane, the conference presented an opportunity to reconsider how knowledge, leadership, humanity and social change are understood, particularly when dominant academic traditions have historically marginalised African ways of knowing. 

He argued that scholars in the Global South have not invested sufficient intellectual effort in developing theories grounded in the everyday experiences of ordinary people. 

Instead, he suggested, much of the region's research remains empirically focused without adequately contributing to the development of original theoretical perspectives. 

"We tend to follow intellectual authority of the global north in terms of how we contextualise our reality in the methodological approaches that we employ in research as well as thinking about interventions around communities," he asserted. 

Mfecane called for research approaches that recognise the intellectual value of knowledge produced outside conventional academic and urban settings. 

"I don’t just call for the decolonisation of gender, but I argue the need to situate our work even outside of the urban spaces," he concluded. 

His contribution reinforced the need for African scholars to develop theoretical frameworks that reflect the continent's social realities rather than relying predominantly on perspectives developed elsewhere. 

The conference also featured a roundtable discussion on "Curriculum transformation: Inclusivity and representation in knowledge production", which examined whether universities have made meaningful progress in transforming what they teach and how knowledge is presented. 

Participants questioned the extent to which higher education institutions have moved beyond formal commitments to transformation and addressed the underlying structures that shape curriculum development. 

Senior Teaching and Learning Specialist Siyabulela Sabata argued that universities continue to operate within institutional systems, performance frameworks and administrative structures that make meaningful transformation difficult. 

Referring to the student protests of 2015 and 2016, when students demanded the decolonisation of higher education, Sabata highlighted the continuing tensions between institutional practices and calls for curriculum reform. 

He argued that quality assurance systems and performance-based approaches have significantly influenced how universities respond to demands for transformation. 

"Universities are a colonial structure and are not engaging with curriculum," he said. 

Sabata questioned whether universities had genuinely transformed their approaches to teaching and knowledge production, arguing that the language of decolonisation had not always translated into meaningful changes in academic practice. 

He challenged participants to consider curriculum transformation as part of a broader project of liberation, rather than simply an administrative or compliance exercise. 

Nonkanyiso Vokwana, an Education Consultant in the Department for Education Innovation at the University of Pretoria, echoed concerns about the gap between institutional transformation policies and their implementation. 

She argued that curriculum transformation remains constrained by practices that preserve the status quo, with some institutions continuing to treat transformation as optional rather than fundamental to their educational responsibilities. 

"If you look at the policies that most of our universities have," she said, "you would be convinced that the revolution is taking place."

However, she cautioned that the existence of progressive policies does not necessarily mean that meaningful transformation is occurring in classrooms. 

Vokwana noted that some academic disciplines continue to resist efforts to decolonise their curricula, making it essential for lecturers to take greater responsibility for examining the knowledge and perspectives presented to students. 

She also raised concerns about how classroom observations are increasingly being used for performance assessment and promotion rather than professional development. 

"Instead of cultivating, teachers now classify students because of the Eurocentric culture and as long as we still think of the Eurocentric culture, the curriculum transformation will die," she said. 

Vokwana urged academics to approach curriculum development from an emancipatory perspective, recognising the ways in which Eurocentric assumptions continue to influence educational practices. 

She encouraged participants to critically examine these influences and consider how African-centred knowledge and approaches could be meaningfully incorporated into teaching and learning. 

Her contribution highlighted the importance of moving beyond symbolic commitments to decolonisation towards practical changes that affect students' learning experiences. 

The conference discussions reflected Unisa's broader commitment to advancing African-centred scholarship and challenging inequalities in knowledge production. 

Through its Catalytic Niche Area of Feminist/Womanist/Bosadi Theorisations, the university promotes critical engagement with gender, identity, power and social justice, creating opportunities for scholars to develop theories that respond to African experiences. 

The discussions on curriculum transformation also spoke to the university's responsibility to create inclusive learning environments that recognise diverse knowledge systems and intellectual traditions. 

These objectives are closely connected to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4, which promotes inclusive and equitable quality education, and SDG 5, which seeks to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls. 

The conversations about gender-based violence, discrimination and structural exclusion also reflected the objectives of SDG 10, which focuses on reducing inequalities. 

For the scholars gathered at the conference, however, the challenge extended beyond identifying inequalities. It involved questioning the intellectual frameworks that allow those inequalities to persist and exploring alternatives grounded in African realities. 

Across the panel and roundtable discussions, a common message emerged: meaningful transformation requires institutions and scholars to critically examine the assumptions that inform their work. 

Whether addressing gender-based violence, masculinity, curriculum development or the marginalisation of African knowledge systems, participants emphasised the importance of moving beyond inherited frameworks and creating space for alternative perspectives. 

The discussions also demonstrated the value of bringing together scholars from different disciplines and institutions to examine interconnected social challenges. 

By encouraging critical reflection, intellectual exchange and African-centred theorisation, the Department of Leadership and Transformation's biannual conference contributed to ongoing debates about the future of higher education and the role of universities in advancing social justice. 

Ultimately, the conference challenged academics to move beyond questioning existing systems and contribute to developing new ways of thinking, teaching and producing knowledge. 

The central message was that transforming society requires transforming the ideas, assumptions and knowledge systems through which society is understood. 

* By Moleboheng Mpafa, Communication Intern, Department of Institutional Advancement