The Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) is delighted to announce the recognition of two exceptional contributions at the 10th Annual Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) Book, Creative Collection, and Digital Contribution Awards, presented by the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS), on Thursday, 27 March 2025.

These awards celebrate outstanding work in the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) and highlight the important role these fields continue to play in shaping society, especially at a time in global higher education when such contributions are often undervalued, overlooked, or deliberately side-lined in ways that diminish their reach and impact.

Professor Uma Dhupelia-Mesthrie, Emeritus Professor in the Department of History, has received the award for best non-fiction edited volume for her book Gandhi’s African Legacy: Phoenix Settlement 1904 to 2024, A History Through Letters (published by UWC Press in 2024).

This meticulously researched volume offers a 120-year history of the Phoenix Settlement, founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1904, which served as an experiment in cooperative living and embodied Gandhi’s ideals for a just society based on ethical living and non-violent resistance.

The book draws on 190 letters from 28 archives around the world, including from England, America, Australia, India, and South Africa, with over 130 of these letters newly translated from Gujarati into English. Among the letters featured are more than seventy written by Sushila Gandhi, shedding light on the life and legacy of a woman whose contributions were long overlooked in historical narratives.

This volume goes beyond merely recounting the settlement’s history—it brings to life the men and women who carried on Gandhi’s ideals long after his departure. The book is poised to inspire further research in areas such as local histories of Inanda/Bhambayi, national liberation, women’s histories, heritage studies, and world peace studies.

Prof Uma Dhupelia-Mesthrie

Professor Dhupelia-Mesthrie has had a distinguished career, with more than thirty years of service at UWC, during which she served as the head of her department and as Deputy Dean of Research.

In recognition of her scholarly achievements, she received a B1 rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF) in 2018. Her previous book, Gandhi’s Prisoner? The Life of Gandhi’s Son, Manilal (2004), was awarded the Via Africa prize for best non-fiction monograph and the Arts Faculty Research Award.

Professor Dhupelia-Mesthrie’s latest award affirms her ongoing contribution to India-South Africa connected histories and her important place in the global academic community. The Centre for Humanities Research (CHR) at UWC is also celebrating the recognition of the Oscillations: Sonic Inquiries and Practices project in the Visual Arts category.

This innovative sound study and exhibition project was led by a curatorial team comprised of Professor Heidi Grunebaum, Dr. Valmont Layne, Dr. Aidan Erasmus, and doctoral fellow Lee Walters, in collaboration with curators Julia Gerlach from the Akademie der Künste and Marcus Gammel from Deutschlandfunk Kultur.

Featured artists included Muhammad Dawjee, Garth Erasmus, Gabi Motuba, Zara Julius, Nkosenathi Koela, Mpho Molikeng, Neo Muyanga, Denise Onen, as well as Christina Kubisch and Kirsten Reese.

Oscillations explored how sound shapes the way we understand the world, history, and power. It invited participants to rethink the ways we listen—not as a passive act, but as a form of knowledge production and critical engagement.

Through a combination of artistic and scholarly work, Oscillations encouraged audiences to experience unfamiliar sounds, uncover new meanings through sonic translation, and challenge dominant ideas about culture and economy that often go unquestioned. In addition to receiving the NIHSS HSS Award, Oscillations was also honoured with the UWC 2024 Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research Award in the Creative Category.

The project, which prompted new inquiries into the materialities of sound and its role in shaping political, cultural, and social discourse, has made a significant impact in rethinking how sound can engage with histories and power structures. The exhibition was widely reviewed in German media, and the project’s radio broadcasts on Deutschlandfunk Kultur have extended its reach to broader audiences.

This recognition underscores the global significance of South African sound practices and the innovative intellectual and artistic work being produced within the CHR. These awards affirm the continued importance of the Humanities and Social Sciences in contributing to our understanding of history, culture, and society.

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities congratulates Professor Dhupelia-Mesthrie and Professor Grunebaum and her team for their remarkable achievements and is grateful to the NIHSS for its ongoing recognition of the vital work being done in these fields.