The Scientific Imagination in South Africa

The Scientific Imagination in South Africa

Author: William Beinart

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2021-05-20

Total Pages: 419

ISBN-13: 1108837085

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An innovative three hundred year exploration of the social and political contexts of science and the scientific imagination in South Africa.


Inventors, Bright Minds and Other Science Heroes of South Africa

Inventors, Bright Minds and Other Science Heroes of South Africa

Author: Engela Duvenage

Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa

Published: 2021-07-01

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 0639608043

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In this book you will read all about inventors, bright minds and other brilliant science heroes of South Africa. You’ll read the stories of people who made medical breakthroughs. Stories about people who love animals and plants. Stories about people who try to understand the secrets of the sky. Stories about people who made interesting discoveries about fossils, the earth, water and the climate. This is a truly South African book that will inspire all readers to question, to explore and discover, and to create.


Science Communication in South Africa

Science Communication in South Africa

Author: Weingart, Peter

Publisher: African Minds

Published: 2020-01-18

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 1928502032

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Why do we need to communicate science? Is science, with its highly specialised language and its arcane methods, too distant to be understood by the public? Is it really possible for citizens to participate meaningfully in scientific research projects and debate? Should scientists be mandated to engage with the public to facilitate better understanding of science? How can they best communicate their special knowledge to be intelligible? These and a plethora of related questions are being raised by researchers and politicians alike as they have become convinced that science and society need to draw nearer to one another. Once the persuasion took hold that science should open up to the public and these questions were raised, it became clear that coming up with satisfactory answers would be a complex challenge. The inaccessibility of scientific language and methods, due to ever increasing specialisation, is at the base of its very success. Thus, translating specialised knowledge to become understandable, interesting and relevant to various publics creates particular perils. This is exacerbated by the ongoing disruption of the public discourse through the digitisation of communication platforms. For example, the availability of medical knowledge on the internet and the immense opportunities to inform oneself about health risks via social media are undermined by the manipulable nature of this technology that does not allow its users to distinguish between credible content and misinformation. In countries around the world, scientists, policy-makers and the public have high hopes for science communication: that it may elevate its populations educationally, that it may raise the level of sound decision-making for people in their daily lives, and that it may contribute to innovation and economic well-being. This collection of current reflections gives an insight into the issues that have to be addressed by research to reach these noble goals, for South Africa and by South Africans in particular.


One Virus, Two Countries

One Virus, Two Countries

Author: Steven Friedman

Publisher: NYU Press

Published: 2021-11

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 177614743X

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Has South Africa ‘done well’ at limiting illness and deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic? Academic and political commentator, Steven Friedman, thinks not. While the country’s mainstream media believes it has, in his view the evidence tells another story. South Africa has experienced by far the most cases and deaths in Africa – at one point as many as the rest of the continent combined. One Virus, Two Countries: What Covid-19 tells us about South Africa offers a searing analysis of government and expert scientists’ responses to the pandemic. Friedman argues that South Africa is two societies in one – a ‘First World’ which resembles Western Europe and North America, and a ‘Third World’ which looks much like the rest of Africa or South Asia. The South African state, the media and the scientific community have largely tried to deal with the virus through a ‘First World’ lens in which much of the country was either invisible or a problem – not a partner. Friedman argues this approach prevented the country from responding in a way which would have protected most citizens. This is why case numbers and deaths are so high: South Africa has done worse than the rest of Africa not despite the fact that it has a ‘more developed’ health system, but because it does. One Virus, Two Countries is a controversial book that will rouse much needed debate about South Africa’s health and economic system in a context of serious inequality.


Political Science in South Africa

Political Science in South Africa

Author: Peter Vale

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2024-10-14

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781032925042

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The book describes and evaluates the state of the discipline of political science and international relations in South Africa. Fourteen South African political scientists present their own appraisals of various aspects of the study of Politics in South Africa, in the 20th year of the country's post-Apartheid existence. This book


Transforming Research Methods in the Social Sciences

Transforming Research Methods in the Social Sciences

Author: Angelo Flynn

Publisher: NYU Press

Published: 2019-03-01

Total Pages: 456

ISBN-13: 1776143566

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Social science researchers in the global South, and in South Africa particularly, utilise research methods in innovative ways in order to respond to contexts characterised by diversity, racial and political tensions, socioeconomic disparities and gender inequalities. These methods often remain undocumented – a gap that this book starts to address. Written by experts from various methodological fields, Transforming Research Methods in the Social Sciences is a comprehensive collation of original essays and cutting-edge research that demonstrates the variety of novel techniques and research methods available to researchers responding to these context-bound issues. It is particularly relevant for study and research in the fields of applied psychology, sociology, ethnography, biography and anthropology. In addition to their unique combination of conceptual and application issues, the chapters also include discussions on ethical considerations relevant to the method in similar global South contexts. Transforming Research Methods in the Social Sciences has much to offer to researchers, professionals and others involved in social science research both locally and internationally.


Biological Invasions in South Africa

Biological Invasions in South Africa

Author: Brian W. van Wilgen

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-03-10

Total Pages: 972

ISBN-13: 3030323943

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This open access volume presents a comprehensive account of all aspects of biological invasions in South Africa, where research has been conducted over more than three decades, and where bold initiatives have been implemented in attempts to control invasions and to reduce their ecological, economic and social effects. It covers a broad range of themes, including history, policy development and implementation, the status of invasions of animals and plants in terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments, the development of a robust ecological theory around biological invasions, the effectiveness of management interventions, and scenarios for the future. The South African situation stands out because of the remarkable diversity of the country, and the wide range of problems encountered in its varied ecosystems, which has resulted in a disproportionate investment into both research and management. The South African experience holds many lessons for other parts of the world, and this book should be of immense value to researchers, students, managers, and policy-makers who deal with biological invasions and ecosystem management and conservation in most other regions.


Soils of South Africa

Soils of South Africa

Author: Martin Fey

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2010-02-16

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1139495291

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Soils of South Africa is the first book in seventy years that provides a comprehensive account of South African soils. The book arranges more than seventy soil forms into fourteen groups and then provides, for each group: • maps showing their distribution and abundance throughout South Africa • descriptions of morphological, chemical and physical properties • a detailed account of classification and its correlation with international systems • a discussion of soil genesis which includes a review of relevant research papers • appraisal of soil quality from a land use perspective as well as for its ecological significance • illustrative examples of soil profiles with analytical data and accompanying interpretations. There is also a fascinating account of the special relationship that exists between South African animals and soil environments. Soils of South Africa should interest students and researchers in the earth, environmental and biological sciences, as well as environmental practitioners, farmers, foresters and civil engineers.


Transforming Science in South Africa

Transforming Science in South Africa

Author: R. Sooryamoorthy

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-03-23

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 1137493070

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This book is essential for anyone interested in knowing how science works nationally and internationally in the contemporary world. It offers a comprehensive analysis of scientific collaboration and its relation to development and the productivity of scientists, with specific reference to South Africa in both the past and the present.