Faculty of Arts & Humanities
Faculty of Arts & Humanities
P r o f e s s o r H e i d i G r u n e b a ü m t o P ac H i e v e r
D r L e e - S h a e S a L m a S c h a r n i c k- U D e m a n S r i S i n g S ta r
Perceptions of time and space ‘reshaped’ by pandemic PROFESSOR Heidi Grunebaüm is the director at the Centre for continues to be disproportionately borne by women, in general Humanities Research (CHR). and the most economically and socially vulnerable She completed her PhD at UWC in 2007, and women, in particular. Of course, this has implithen returned in 2011 to take up a post as cations for academic labour and for women academics, who also often carry the burSenior Researcher at the Centre for Humanities Research. den of invisible labour in our capacities as teachers, interlocutors, suAs a postdoctoral fellow at the pervisors and colleagues.” Centre for Humanities Research at UWC, she completed a monReflecting on the pandemic, she says that it “has reshaped ograph entitled Memorialisour perceptions of time and ing the Past: Everyday Life in space”. South Africa after the Truth “The effects of so much time and Reconciliation Commisspent on digital platforms sion, which was published for thinking, studying and in 2011. She also made teaching – as well as for the documentary feature mental, physical and emofilm, The Village Under the tional health – are not yet Forest, with Mark J Kaplan properly understood. Nor about the historiographical have we forged a shared debates on the founding naconceptual language to detional narratives of Israel. scribe them yet. Her most recent collaboraAnother factor has been the tive research project, Athlone in absence of the in-person comMind (2017) was an exhibition cumuning that is so fundamental to rated by Dr Kurt Campbell, a digital our health as social beings, and which platform and a book catalogue. helps us make sense of all these things. Over the years, Prof Grunebaüm has Without that, these difficulties are redoubled.” made a deep and lasting contribution to esShe is interested in re-imagining post-apartheid tablishing the intellectual foundations of the CHR’s South Africa by rethinking its research platform on aesthetics discursive terms – and is curand politics. She has also contrib“We live in a heteronormative rently engaging with the work of uted to the knowledge inventory of patriarchal world where the structural a number of anticolonial thinkers, the Factory of the Arts and its artpostcolonial theorists, filmmakers, ists in residence programme. burden of care for children, the elderly, novelists and poets to sketch the Much of her work is borne from an and the household continues to be contours of a non-partitioned imidea of place that responds to the disproportionately borne by women.” aginary. failed promises of post-apartheid “At the Centre for Humanities Redemocracy. Her training in literary, historical, postcolonial and cultural stud- search, planning for our programmes in the new Greatmore faies have given her unique insights into what the pandemic has cility in Woodstock is enormously energising and offers a longer, larger time frame into which we are thinking. This brings a exposed in society. “We live in a heteronormative patriarchal world where the struc- very welcome measure of stability and optimism in the midst of tural burden of care for children, the elderly, and the household so much uncertainty.”
Notion of a healthy work-life balance just a myth DOCTOR Lee-Shae Salma Scharnick-Udemans is the Senior Re- “We try to live in ways that honour each of our individual capacisearcher at the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Jus- ties and strengths. We still don’t always get it right, but we are tice at the University of the Western Cape. She is trained in the continually trying to honour our individual personal and profesintersectional and interdisciplinary study of religion. sional journeys as well as our familial commitment to each other Her expertise is in religion and media. She says, “I am interand our child. ested in the production, circulation and meanings “Having said that, most of my challenges were inof representations and discourses of religious ternal and I struggled with the same feelings diversity, religious pluralism and religious of loss, fear, anxiety, anguish, and later freedom. Working in a context that is grief that many others have reported. dominated by Christian theology, “I think the notion of a healthy workmy research orientation is part of life balance is a myth. It might just my political commitment to conbe another patriarchal constructesting the Christonormative tion, another unrealistic standpredilections of the field.” ard akin to those set by the On the subject of the panbeauty industry for women to demic, she has been trying endlessly strive for. I respect to allow for a more expanif some women feel they sive and nuanced view of have achieved this elusive the implications of Covid-19 balance — but I have not, on human existence and nor do I aspire to. experiences. “The category “It is an honour to do this of women is not universal work, and live a life of and factors such as race, earned privilege. Barring the status, seniority, domestic restrictions of living in a pancontext, physical ability and demic, right now I have the enhealth as well as mental health ergy and the passion to engage definitely determine the extent to fully with my many lives and I plan which women academics were afto do this to the best of my ability. fected. I speak to my therapist regularly, try “My domestic context is secure, wellto move my body every day, read pocontained and generally a source of joy etry, binge watch terrible television, take and freedom. I live with my husband and our my CBD oil, burn some imphepho, eat four-year-old son. When the pandemic some green stuff, drink lots of water hit it was difficult not having child care “I think the notion of a healthy work-life and hold my loved ones close. assistance and my usual support sys- balance is a myth. It might just be an- “I am currently participating in a prestem. However, since our home life is other patriarchal construction, another tigious programme on the development structured along principles of altruism, of public scholarship with North Eastern unrealistic standard … for women to University in the US. My latest research mutuality and respect, my partner and I were able to support each other with endlessly strive for.” project explores how women of colour the specificity that each of our varying express their religious diversity and reresponsibilities demanded. ligious agency on social media.”
