Broadly, my research interests over the past decade have comprised urban issues, initially in South Africa and increasingly beyond its borders in sub-Saharan Africa. I have tried to understand some of these issues by using collective identities, migration streams and xenophobic behaviour as ideas that facilitate analyses of urban life in Africa.

A four-year research programme on urban issues in sub-Saharan Africa has resulted in two publications: a book on capital cities edited by Gran Therborn and myself and a second, edited by Laurent Fourchard and myself, entitled Governing cities in Africa: Politics and Policies.

A selection of my publications is listed in the four sub-pages given below. Some of these publications are available here in electronic format (via hyper-links).

• Bekker, S. and N. Bromberger (2016) ‘A shift in Western development agency thinking? The case for second best.’ Social Dynamics. (10.1080/02533952.2016.1237319)
• Bekker S. (2016) ‘2008 et 2015, pistes d’interprétation de deux flambées xénophobes en Afrique du Sud.’ in R. Porteilla, Hayem J., Séverin M et Dika P.R. (eds) Afrique du Sud : 20 ans de démocratie contrastée. Paris : L’Harmattan 273-283.
• Bekker, S. (2015) ‘Entitlement demands and entitlement despair. Reflections on the violent xenophobic episodes of 2015 and of 2008.’ African Human Mobility Review 1(3) 230–253

• Selected publications over the past 5 years (2006-2014)

• Selected earlier publications: books and other

• Publications on violent xenophobic events (2008)

• Publications on Migration

DPhil, Stell Univ, 1984

Emeritus Professor in Sociology

Ongoing Interests: Community development; Social demography; Evaluation studies; Social Research Methods.

Selected Publications:

• 2008 The State of the Population in the Western Cape Province. Edited by R. Marindo, C. Groenewald and S. Gaisie. Pretoria: HSRC Press.
• 2014 ‘Urbanisation’, Chapter 20 in Sociology, A South African introduction; Paul Stewart and Johan Zaaiman, Eds. Juta & Company Ltd, Cape Town. Pp 481-507.
• 2011 ‘A system approach to training in population, environment and development.’ In: UNDP, SUSSC, PPD, UNFPA: Sharing Innovative Experiences – Experiences in Addressing Population and Reproductive Health Challenges, Volume 19, UNDP. Chapter 7, pp 159-190.
• 2010 ‘Churches as providers of HIV and Aids care,’ by C. Ferreira and C. Groenewald. Chapter 10 in Religion and Social Development in Post-apartheid South Africa: Perspectives for critical engagement. Edited by I, Swart, J.C. Erasmus, S. Green, and H. Rocher. Sun Media.
• 2008 ‘Western Cape: An overview’, by C Groenewald. Chapter 1 in The State of the Population in the Western Cape Province. Edited by R. Marindo, C Groenewald and S. Gaisie. Pretoria: HSRC Press.
• 2009 Concept Paper on Social Cohesion / Inclusion in Local Integrated Development Plans. Published by Department of Social Development, Chief Directorate Communication, and Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Republic of South Africa, Pretoria. With Pieter Cloete and Frans Kotze.
• 2006 The Institutionalization of the Dialogue between Population Research and Development Policy in Africa. Analytical report of proceedings of the seminar held in Montevideo, Uruguay, 21-22 February 2006. Convened by Department of Social Development, Republic of South Africa, Pretoria.

D. Litt. et Phil., Johannesburg, 1986

Emeritus Professor in Social Anthropology

Ongoing Interests: Afrikaans and Cultural Politics; Transformations in the Lowveld; Development Interventions in the Cape Winelands; History of South African Anthropology; Ethnographic Fieldwork

Selected Publications:

• 2011 De la Rey and the Revival of Afrikaner Dignity: Nostalgia in the Post-Apartheid Culture Industry. Journal of Southern African Studies 37(4):763-779 (with Steven Robins).
• 2012 Creolisation and purity: the contested social and symbolic lifes of Afrikaans. African Studies 71(3):446-463.
• 2014 Winelands, Wealth and Work. Pietermaritzburg: UKZN Press (editor).
• 2015 Long walk from volkekunde to anthropology: reflections on representing the human in South Africa. Anthropology Southern Africa, 38 (3&4).

DPhil, University Stellenbosch, 1990

Professor Emeritus (2006 – )

ask@sun.ac.za

Interests:

Sociology of work; Globalisation and export agriculture; Feminist theory and politics.

Selected publications:

• 2010.  ‘Shifting Terrain of Ethical Trade: Corporate and Civil Society Engagement in South African Agriculture’. In: Raman, K. Ravi and Lipschutz, R.D. Corporate Social Responsibility. Comparative Critiques. Pelgrave MacMillan:Basingstoke (with S. Barrientos).
• 2007.  ‘Dealing with Sexual Harassment at Institutions of Higher Learning: Policy Implementation at a South African University’. South African Journal of Higher Education, 21(1), pp. 68-84 (with A Gouws)
• 2006.  ‘The Informalization of Farm Employment’. In B Bock and S Shortall (eds) Rural Gender relations. Issues and Case Studies, pp. 97-118. CABI Publishing: Oxfordshire, UK
• 2005.  ‘A study of the Implementation and the Impact of the Sexual Harassment Policy of the University of Stellenbosch’. In J Bennett (ed) Killing a Virus with Stones? Research on the Implementation of Policies Against Sexual Harassment in Southern African Higher Education, pp.55-115. African Gender Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town (with A Gouws)
• 2005. ‘Global markets, employment restructuring and female labourers on Western Cape fruit farms’. Acta Academica, 37 (1) pp. 99-125
• 2004.  ‘Squaring the Circle: Global production and informalisation of work in South African fruit exports’. Journal of International Development, (16) pp. 81-92 (with S Barrientos)