The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) invites you to the launch and discussion of Global South Rising? BRICS and the Reconfiguration of Knowledge Systems, edited by Ari Sitas and Wiebke Keim and published by HSRC Press.

This collection examines whether BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) is reshaping more than economics, and quietly redefining who produces knowledge and scientific research worldwide.

The book traces this story back to the 1955 Bandung Conference, where newly independent nations first imagined a more equitable global order, and asks whether BRICS is now advancing that unfinished project. For South Africa, the smallest member of BRICS, the stakes are especially significant given the country’s strong emphasis on higher education and scientific collaboration.

Programme

• Welcome
• Discussion of the book
• Question-and-answer session with the audience

Discussants

• Dr Sarah Mosoetsa (HSRC CEO)
• Dr Deborah Bonnin (University of Pretoria)
• Dr Rasigan Maharajh (Tshwane University of Technology)
• Co-editor Dr Ari Sitas (University of Cape Town; National Research Foundation)

This promises to be a rich and thought-provoking discussion on multipolarity, knowledge systems, and what a “New Bandung” could mean for the Global South.

Date: Thursday, 9 July 2026
Time: 18:00–20:00
Venue: Exclusive Books, Shop 2127, Entrance 19, Upper Level 5, Mall of Africa, Magwa Crescent, Midrand, 1686, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
RSVP: https://exclusivebooks.co.za/pages/events