Speaker: Professor Bernadette Atuahene, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Faculty Fellow, American Bar Foundation
Venues in Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town (Videoconferencing facilities: see below)
Date: 9 September 2014
Time: 12H15 for 12h30 – 13H30  

Land dispossession occurring in South Africa during colonialism and apartheid is a quintessential example of ‘dignity takings’, which involves the deprivation of property and also dignity. There have been numerous examples of dignity takings throughout the world, but South Africa stands apart because of its unique remedial efforts.

The nation has attempted to move beyond the more common step of providing reparations (compensation for physical losses) and to instead facilitate ‘dignity restoration’, which is a comprehensive remedy that seeks to restore property while also confronting the underlying dehumanisation, infantilisation, and political exclusion that enabled the injustice.

In We Want What’s Ours, Bernadette Atuahene’s detailed research and interviews with over one hundred and fifty South Africans who participated in the nation’s land restitution programme provide a snapshot of South Africa’s successes and failures in achieving dignity restoration.

Kindly RSVP by 8 September 2014

Cape Town : HSRC, 12th Floor, Plein Park Building (Opposite Revenue Office), Plein Street, Cape Town. Contact Jean Witten, Tel (021) 4668004, Fax (021) 461 0299, or JWitten@hsrc.ac.za

Durban :  First floor HSRC board room, 750 Francois Road, Ntuthuko Junction, Pods 5 and 6, Cato Manor, Contact Ridhwaan Khan, Tel (031) 242 5400, cell: 083 788 2786 or RKhan@hsrc.ac.za

Pretoria : HSRC Video Conference, 1st floor HSRC Library Human Sciences Research Council, 134 Pretorius Street, Pretoria. Arlene Grossberg, Tel: (012) 302 2811, e-mail: acgrossberg@hsrc.ac.za or Happy Solomon, Tel: (012) 302 2368 E-mail: HSolomon@hsrc.ac.za