Postdoctoral Research Fellowship 2023
Mbongeni Jonny Msimanga
Communication Studies
Mbongeni Msimanga
Dr Mbongeni Jonny Msimanga is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study (JIAS). South Africa. Mbongeni’s research interests are in digital cultures and activism, political satire and creative performance, and journalism practices. His work has been published in local and international journals such as Journal of Communication Inquiry, Media, Culture and Society, Journal of Media Studies, African Journalism Studies and Journal of African and Asian Studies.
Stephen Phiri
Education and Development
Stephen Phiri
Stephen Phiri is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study (JIAS). He holds a BA in Philosophy, a Master’s degree in Policy and Development, and a PhD in Education and Development. His doctoral studies were sponsored by the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) in partnership with the National Institute for Humanities and Social Science (NIHSS). His research specifically focuses on Africa and the post-colonial state.
Thapelo Mokoatsi
History
Thapelo Mokoatsi
He has completed his PhD in History, Rhodes University, on the thesis titled, Saul Msane: Friend or Foe of the People? The life of the late nineteenth to early twentieth century South African Politician and Journalist. In 2017, he was a finalist on the Mail and Guardian Top 200 Young South African in the category of Film and Media.
Ashraf Kunnummal
Islamic Studies
Ashraf Kunnummal
Ashraf Kunnummal is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Johannesburg Institute of Advanced Study, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. He completed his PhD at the University of Johannesburg in Islamic Studies. His thesis was titled ‘A Critical Decolonial Reading of Liberation in Islamic Liberation Theology: The Works of Asghar Ali Engineer, Shabbir Akhtar, Farid Esack and Hamid Dabashi’. He is currently revising his thesis as a book and aims to work towards a theory and praxis of decolonial Islamic liberation theology.