Biography

Dr Kim Wale, PhD from the School for Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, is a Research fellow Studies in Historical Trauma and Transformation at the University of Stellenbosch. Her work focusses on collective memories of violence and racial oppression. She is interested both in tracing the transgenerational repercussions of these histories as well as exploring collective possibilities for working through these traumatic legacies. Prior to joining the Centre, Kim held the position of project leader of the South African Reconciliation Barometer Survey at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. Her first major book titled South Africa’s Struggle to Remember: Contested Memories of Squatter Resistance in the Western Cape was published by Routledge in 2016. Kim has published her work in a number of academic articles, books, book chapters, research reports and opinion pieces. Her recent book is co-edited with Pumla Gobodo Madikizela and Jeffrey Prager, Post-Conflict Hauntings: Transforming Memories of Historical Trauma.

Email: kim.wale30@gmail.com | Tel: +27 21 808 4047

Recent Publications

Books

Wale, K., Gobodo-Madikizela, P. & Prager, J. (Eds.) (2020). Post-conflict hauntings: Transforming memories of historical trauma. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Book Chapters

Wale, K. (2020). Intergenerational nostalgic haunting and critical hope: Memories of loss and longing in Bonteheuwel. In K. Wale, P. Gobodo-Madikizela, & J. Prager (Eds.) Post-conflict hauntings (pp. 203-227). Palgrave Macmillan.

Journal Articles

Wale, K. (2021). Knotted memories of a betrayed sacrifice: Rethinking trauma and hope in South Africa. Memory Studies. 15(4). 827-841. https://doi.org/10.1177/17506980211066581

Wale, K. (2020). Towards critical cultural openness: (In)vulnerability in white student narratives of transformation in South Africa. Ethnic and Racial Studies. 43(7) 1189-1207. DOI: 10.1080/01419870.2019.1642502

Op-eds, Researched Reports and Published Conference Proceedings

Wale, K. & Basson, A. (2019, September 20). SA has a legacy of trauma. Mail & Guardian. https://mg.co.za/article/2019-09-20-00-sa-has-a-legacy-of-trauma/

Wale K. (2019, April 26). Apartheid Ghosts live on. Cape Argus. https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/cape-argus/20190426/281745565798168

Wale, K. (2019, February 22). Betrayal adds to apartheid trauma. Mail & Guardian. https://mg.co.za/article/2019-02-22-00-betrayal-adds-to-apartheid-trauma/

Wale, K. (2019). Intergenerational nostalgia: Loss and longing in Bonteheuwel. Historical trauma and memory: living with the haunting power of the past, Kigali, Rwanda, 4-6 April 2018. Historical Trauma and Transformation, Stellenbosch