Centre for Sexualities, AIDS & Gender

Centre for Sexualities, AIDS & Gender Official page of the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender at the University of Pretoria. Find us in the Graduate Centre in 2019.

In keeping with global, regional and local developments the Centre for the Study of AIDS (CSA) at the University of Pretoria (UP) has re-positioned itself as the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender (CSA&G). This is in line with three key imperatives:
- The HIV/AIDS terrain requires invigorated social research which sees sexuality and gender as key to understanding and addressing HIV and AIDS.


- Linked to this, renewed critical scholarship on sexualities and diversities is required in the African academy, given (sometimes new) conservative movements and impulses.
- All institutions, especially those of higher learning, need to engage in a conversation around transformation: HIV provides a useful entry point to this conversation as it has always raised questions of discrimination, difference, diversity and inclusivity. In light of these imperatives, and building on its expertise and presence at UP, the CSA has renamed itself the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender (CSA&G) with the vision of “understanding power, exploring diversity, examining difference and imagining inclusivity”. Using HIV and AIDS as both a lens and a springboard, the CSA&G will explore, at the university and beyond, themes of:
- social and community justice
- institutional and social transformation
- sexual and reproductive health and rights for all
- sexual diversity and sexual citizenship
- the challenges and dynamics of gender, identity, race and class
- personal and social leadership for active citizenship and political accountability
- effective community engagement and the promotion of community wellness. Possible research areas for 2015 and beyond:
- Exploring human rights implications of emerging models of HIV testing, circumcision and other new technologies
- Exploring the impact of medicalised prevention interventions such as circumcision, pre-exposure prophylaxis and microbicides.
- Exploring the impact of HIV treatments on stigma and adherence.
- Exploring the links between gender, culture and sexuality.
- Researching, understanding and promoting progressive ideas on sexual diversity and sexual citizenship in a sex-positive way
- Researching and intervening on gender-based violence
- Developing new theory around, and promoting debate on, power, difference, diversity, inclusivity and identity.
- Contributing to scholarship and debate on rights related to sexual orientation and gender identity in South Africa and beyond.
- Exploring the role of tertiary institutions in the epidemics.

Today, colleagues at the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender had the opportunity to participate in an engaging and i...
21/05/2026

Today, colleagues at the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender had the opportunity to participate in an engaging and insightful workshop presented by Dr Temitope Olalude on conducting systematic reviews.

A wonderful opportunity for the CSA&G to become more familiar with new methodologies and approaches to our work..

In celebration of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) this pas...
19/05/2026

In celebration of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) this past Sunday, 17 May, CSA&G project manager, Chris Joubert, reflects on democracy and LGBTQIA+ rights in South Africa.

"Young South Africans play an important role in shaping the future of inclusion. Universities, schools, activist groups, and online communities have become spaces where conversations about identity, equality, and gender diversity are growing. Pride events in cities such as Johannesburg and Cape Town continue to create visibility and solidarity, while grassroots organisations provide support for LGBTQIA+ youth in townships and rural areas.

Ultimately, IDAHOBIT 2026 is a reminder that democracy cannot exist fully while some people are forced to live in fear. South Africa’s constitutional promise of equality remains powerful, but democracy is more than legal documents. It is about how people treat one another every day. Protecting LGBTQIA+ rights means protecting the democratic values of dignity, freedom, and equality for everyone."

Read the full piece here: https://www.up.ac.za/csag/news-0

Join us this week as we honour Mental Health Awareness Week. The week aims to break stigmas, promote well-being, and enc...
13/05/2026

Join us this week as we honour Mental Health Awareness Week. The week aims to break stigmas, promote well-being, and encourage open conversations about mental health, often highlighting the importance of connecting with others, nature, and active, healthy lifestyles.

The Just Leaders and Y.E.S TUKS again tomorrow at the mural wall, grab a piece of chalk, and leave some advice for others.

Last week, our community engagement manager, Shalate Belinda Pakati, and researcher, Stirling Blunden, attended the RUCE...
12/05/2026

Last week, our community engagement manager, Shalate Belinda Pakati, and researcher, Stirling Blunden, attended the RUCE 2026 International Community Engagement Conference at the university currently known as Rhodes University in Makhanda to present a paper entitled, “Cultivating Humanity Through Youth-Led Community Engagement: Reflections from The Just Leaders Programme at the CSA&G.”

The presentation explores how Belinda’s work in the Just Leaders programme contributes to community engagement in innovative ways. Keep an eye on our social media pages to catch Belinda presenting this paper at UP soon!

The CSA&G recently welcomed Dr Temitope Olalude (Nee Faronbi). Dr Olalude is a recipient of the ARUA–Carnegie–Mastercard...
06/05/2026

The CSA&G recently welcomed Dr Temitope Olalude (Nee Faronbi). Dr Olalude is a recipient of the ARUA–Carnegie–Mastercard Early Career Research Fellowship (2026) and the first fellow selected under the Africa-Europe Cluster of Research Excellence for Health, Gender and Sexualities (CoRE HGS).

Dr Olalude holds a PhD in Economics and will spend a 6-month fellowship with the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender and the CoRE-HGS at the University of Pretoria. Her research areas include Health Economics, Behavioural Economics, Labour Economics, Gender issues, Climate Change, Demographic Dividend, Population Dynamics and Family Economics. She is a Lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Dr Olalude has experience in teaching, research, consultancy and capacity building.

As an early-career researcher, she is passionate about building a strong foundation in her field, advancing her expertise and engaging in interdisciplinary collaborations both locally and internationally.

On the eve of Human Rights Day, the CSA&G team joined in studio to talk about sexual and health rights under the umbrel...
20/03/2026

On the eve of Human Rights Day, the CSA&G team joined in studio to talk about sexual and health rights under the umbrella of human rights.

An important reminder that human rights show up in every aspect of our everyday lives!

The Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender invites you to a seminar entitled, “Crying Out to a Silent God: The Sexual V...
03/03/2026

The Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender invites you to a seminar entitled, “Crying Out to a Silent God: The Sexual Vulnerability of Enslaved Men in Colonial Cuba” by Dr Matthew Pettway, University of South Alabama.

Date: 10 March 2026
Time: 14:00 – 15:30
Venue: Akanyang, Room 1-11
Click here to RSVP by 9 March 2026 or copy and paste the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdnSv8M68FLo49OkZC9letP0t1kIkDzXplqrl02ZZSDTxDoTQ/viewform

This lecture contributes to broader efforts by scholars such as Thomas Foster, Robert Richmond Ellis and Lamonte Aidoo, who have examined the sexual violation of enslaved men of African descent in the United States, Cuba and Brazil, respectively. In a similar vein, this lecture on Manzano scours the historical and literary record in colonial Cuba to disinter fragmented sources, read them against the grain and speak when the text is silent.

Enquiries must be directed to Christi Kruger via email: [email protected]

Please see the attached invitation for more details.

21/11/2025
The Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender (CSA&G) is recruiting two early-career researchers to join a fully funded, o...
15/09/2025

The Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender (CSA&G) is recruiting two early-career researchers to join a fully funded, one-year international exchange starting January 2026, focused on countering anti-rights movements affecting marginalized communities. The programme includes research, advocacy training, and travel between South Africa, Norway, and Thailand. Applicants must have relevant academic backgrounds and a passion for social justice. A monthly stipend will be provided.

🗓 Deadline: Tuesday, 30 September 2025
📩 Follow the link below to view requirements and find out how to apply
📧 Enquiries: [email protected]

Call for Applications: Youth Exchange Against Anti-rights Exciting opportunity! The Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender is looking to recruit two early-career researchers with a genuine interest in social justice to join a one-year international exchange project focused on countering anti-rights...

The Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender invites you to a conversation with Christa Kuljian on her newly published bo...
04/08/2025

The Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender invites you to a conversation with Christa Kuljian on her newly published book: Our Science, Ourselves: How Gender, Race and Social Movements Shaped the Study of Science.

Dates: Wednesday, 13 August 2025
Time: 14:00 – 15:30
Venue: Akanyang, Room 1.11 / Zoom (https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CucFlCh-RmS9wuJkxY0y-Q)
Enquiries: [email protected]

Our Science Ourselves tells the story of a trailblazing network of women scientists in the Boston area in the United States in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Inspired by the women’s movement, they wrote about stereotypes and bias, and developed feminist and anti-racist critiques of science. Their work, which seeded the discipline of feminist science studies, is inspiring today as the US administration leads an attack on science and an onslaught on scholarship related to gender and race. These themes are relevant in South Africa as well. Come join a conversation about history and the present!

Christa Kuljian is a historian of science, a writer, and the author of two previous books – Sanctuary and Darwin’s Hunch: Science, Race and the Search for Human Origins. Christa is a Research Associate at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (WiSER) at Wits University. In addition to her undergraduate degree in the History of Science from Harvard, she holds a Masters in Public Affairs from Princeton (1989) and an MA in Writing from the University of the Witwatersrand (2007).

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