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UCT Research Report '11
462
Cameron, R.G. and Milne, C. 2011. Representative
Bureaucracy in the South African Public Service. African
journal of public affairs, 4(2): 18-35.
Department of
Psychology
Head of Department: Professor Donald
Foster
Departmental Profile
The Department of Psychology has strengths and interests
in various research areas, including social and cultural
issues pertinent to social change in the Southern African
context, basic and applied topics in the brain and cognitive
sciences, and a variety of topics in clinical psychology
theory and practice. Additional strengths include - but
are not limited to - health psychology, gender, intergroup
relations, child development, policy development in mental
health, programme evaluation, and trauma studies.
Departmental Statistics
Permanent and long term contract staff
Professors
5
Associate Professors
1
Senior Lecturers
6
Lecturers
8
Junior Research Fellow
1
Administrative and Clerical Staff
6
Total
27
Research Associate
1
Total
1
Students
Doctoral
45
Master’s
85
Honours
29
Undergraduate
3314
Total
3473
Research Fields and Staff
Permanent Staff
Dr Floretta Boonzaier
The psychology of gender, including the construction
of gendered and racialised subjectivities and identities,
sexuality studies, women’s health and other areas of
psychology in which opportunities exist to deconstruct
traditional psychological knowledge about gender. Primary
areas of research include woman abuse and other forms
of gender-based violence, including sexual violence and
sexual harassment. Methodological interests lie within the
broad field of qualitative methods, narrative and discourse
analytic research in particular.
Professor Don Foster
Most areas of social and critical psychology with
emphases on political conflict and violence, ideology and
power; intergroup relations and identity. Also interested in
legal psychology areas such as policing, human rights,
criminality, perpetrators of violent crimes and crowd
psychology. Particular interests in local subjectivities e.g.
whiteness, masculinity, national identity.
Professor Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela
Trauma theory (psychoanalytical concept and critical
approaches); testimony and trauma (focus on traumatic
narratives, intersubjective relationships in the context
of bearing witness about trauma). Forgiveness
in the aftermath of trauma (intrapsychic dimensions,
interdisciplinary dialogue, interplay with perpetrator guilt,
shame and remorse).
Dr Debra Kaminer
Psychological impacts of continuous trauma exposure on
children and adults, trauma intervention evaluation, and
development of local knowledges about trauma impact
and intervention.
Dr Shose Kessi
Social psychology (social representations theory and
social identity theory, especially of race and gender);
community psychology (participation, social capital,
conscientization, youth empowerment); postcolonial and
feminist psychology (internalization, black consciousness,
intersectionality)
Dr Despina Learmonth
Eating disorders; sexual health behaviour.
Wahbie Long
Transpersonal psychology; intergroup conflict; war
psychology; community psychology; discourse analysis.
Professor Johann Louw
Twomajor research areas: firstly, in the history of psychology
focusing on: historiography; historical developments in