Prof. Leslie Swartz

Brief Academic Biography

Professor Leslie Swartz is a clinical psychologist by training and obtained his PhD in psychology at the University of Cape Town. Professor Swartz also holds a PhD in English Studies (creative writing) from Stellenbosch University. He joined the Department of Psychology at Stellenbosch University as a Professor in 2001, having been a professor in Psychology at University of Cape Town. In addition to being employed at Stellenbosch University, Professor Swartz is a Visiting Professor in Psychology at University of Johannesburg, and Global Advisor to the Institute for Culture and Society, University of Western Sydney, Australia. Professor Swartz has also received a number of awards for his work, including the Academy of Sciences of South Africa Gold Medal for Science-for-Society in 2019.

Research

Research Topics

• Disability rights and access

• Disability and mental health issues within sub-Saharan Africa

About my Research

My work focuses on disability rights and access, and on mental health issues, with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa. I use a range of methods, from quantitative to arts-based, and I am especially interested in user participation in research processes. Many of my research projects are conducted in partnership with disability rights and service organizations.

Selected Publications

Hunt, X., Swartz, L., Braathen, S. H., Carew, M., Chiwaula, M., & Rohleder, P. (Eds.). (in press). Physical disability and sexuality: Stories from South Africa. New York: Palgrave.

Kilian, S., Hunt, X., Swartz, L., Benjamin, E., & Chiliza, B. (in press). When roles within interpreter-mediated psychiatric consultations speak louder than words. Transcultural Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363461520933768

Kong, C., Campbell, M., Atuire, C., Kpobi, L., & Swartz, L. (in press). The hermeneutics of recovery: Facilitating dialogue between African and Western mental health frameworks. Transcultural Psychiatry.

Lappeman, M., & Swartz, L. (in press). How gentle must violence against women be in order to not be violent? Rethinking the word “violence” in obstetric settings. Violence Against Women.

McKinney, E., McKinney, V., & Swartz, L. (2020). COVID-19, disability, and the context of health care triage in South Africa: Notes in a time of pandemic. African Journal of Disability, 9, 9 pages. doi: https://doi.org/10.4102/ajod.v9i0.766

Mkabile, S., & Swartz, L. (2020). Caregivers’ and parents’ explanatory models of intellectual disability in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 33, 1026-1037. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.12725

Swartz, L. (in press). Culture, concealment and the murderous politics of exclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities in South Africa. In H. Katsui & V. Mesiäislehto (Eds.). Disability and development: Embodied inequalities. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press.

Swartz, L. (in press). How I lost my mother: A story of life, care and dying. Johannesburg: Wits University Press.

Swartz, L., Bantjes, J., Lourens, H., & Watermeyer, B. (2020). Disability: The forgotten side of race science. In J. Jansen & C. Walters (Eds.). Faultlines: A primer on race, science and society (pp. 143-158). Stellenbosch: SunPress.

Vergunst, R., & Swartz, L. (2020). A report on the impact of the Living Conditions Studies (LCS) on disability in southern Africa. Development Southern Africa, 37, 247-258. https://doi.org/10.1080/0376835X.2019.1628709

Volmink, J., Hendricks, L., Mazibuko, L., & Swartz, L. (2020). Race and health: Dilemmas of the South African health researcher. In J. Jansen & C. Walters (Eds.). Faultlines: A primer on race, science and society (pp. 113-127). Stellenbosch: SunPress.

Teaching

Coordination of Programmes and Modules

Postgraduate:

• Coordinator of the PhD programme in the Department of Psychology.

Teaching Areas

Undergraduate:

• Psychology 114

Honours:

• Psychopathology

Masters:

• Lecturer: Masters programmes in Public Mental Health

• Clinical Psychology

• Research Psychology

Websites and other Relevant Links

I was founding editor-in-chief of the African Journal of Disability www.ajod.org.

Information on a recent project on physical disability and sexuality in South Africa can be found at www.disabilityandsexualityproject.com

A video on participatory research skills training for disability activists in southern Africa can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8U9QjyRAcI

Training videos on how publication skills for authors from low and middle-income countries can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrGrUv1ada8 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjFFCeUjOko