Continent gets new masters on violent histories and repair

A continent scarred by slavery, colonialism, apartheid and genocide – and still racked by conflicts today – is getting a dedicated postgraduate programme tailored to studying the enduring impact of such traumas and the possibilities of overcoming them.

In January 2026, the first cohort of students will enrol in a new masters degree in Violent Histories and Repair, to be offered by the Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and the Reparative Quest (AVReQ) at Stellenbosch University (SU) in South Africa.

The programme is the first of its kind in the country, SU said in a media statement on 18 August.

It reflects a growing focus in higher education globally on memory studies, peacebuilding and decolonial approaches. While masters degrees in related fields such as genocide studies and transitional justice exist elsewhere in Africa and in North America and Europe, this qualification explicitly foregrounds violent histories, transgenerational trauma and repair.

New terrains of investigation

The new MPhil “aims to educate, train and mentor emerging scholars and young researchers, empowering them to explore new terrains of investigation into the complex and enduring legacies of violent histories,” AVReQ Director Professor Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela said.

Students will examine transgenerational trauma through African and global case studies – from Rwanda’s genocide to the transatlantic slave trade – situating local experiences within wider scholarly debates.

Against the backdrop of persistent violence against communities, its justification and its normalisation, the programme “also includes a critical examination of psychosocial processes of repair to explore new imaginaries of what it means to heal violent pasts,” she added.

Pioneering scholarship

The degree reflects AVReQ’s mission to pioneer scholarship on the “afterlife of violence”. Established to fulfil the goals of Gobodo-Madikizela’s SARChI Chair in Violent Histories and Transgenerational Trauma, the centre takes an interdisciplinary approach that explores both structural and symbolic forms of violence.

Its work aims to advance research while also influencing public debate. Doctoral and postdoctoral projects already span diverse African contexts, including studies of intergenerational trauma in Rwanda. The new MPhil students will join this interdisciplinary intellectual community.

Global recognition

The programme builds on Gobodo-Madikizela’s international reputation as a clinical psychologist known for groundbreaking work on trauma, forgiveness and reconciliation. She served on the Human Rights Violations (HRV) Committee of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in the late 1990s.

In her 2003 book, A Human Being Died That Night, she reflected on her prison interviews with Eugene de Kock, the commanding officer of state-sanctioned death squads under apartheid.

In 2024, she was awarded the Templeton Prize – one of the world’s largest grants and most prestigious honours – for her scholarship on trauma, forgiveness and repair.

Broader focus

“My work has shifted from a focus on forgiveness and reconciliation to the broader concept of repair,” Gobodo-Madikizela told University World News in a previous interview.

“Repair involves a wider range of processes, focusing on the conditions and actions needed for divided communities to rebuild trust and create solidarity,” she said.

By institutionalising this approach in its new postgraduate qualification, AVReQ is positioning itself as a continental hub for research on trauma, memory and redress.

Demonstrating the potential of higher education to foster peace-building in societies grappling with the aftermath of violence, the new MPhil signals the consolidation of a growing interdisciplinary field. It offers a platform for students committed to understanding how the scars of violence persist – and how societies might begin to heal them.

Degree details

The two-year programme combines four taught modules with a supervised research thesis. Students will be required to attend lectures and seminars in person.

The closing date for applications from international students is 31 August, while South African students have until 31 October.