Prof Joel Modiri to deliver the 7th Annual Stellenbosch University Africa Day Lecture

This year’s lecture, titled “The Three Deaths of Steve Biko: Towards a Jurisprudence of the Irreparable,” marks a significant moment in our country and the life of the University. It inaugurates the next series of the Africa Day Lectures under the leadership of newly appointed Vice Chancellor, Professor Deresh Ramjugernath, and continues a tradition of convening critical voices to reflect on the role of the university in an ever-changing and often fractured world. Moreover, we reflect on a historical juncture, 30 years after the TRC was established, when several post-TRC cases and inquests are being (re)opened, and the post-1994 generation has come of age.

Professor Modiri, renowned for his incisive critique of liberal legalism and his contributions to decolonial and critical race theory in law, will reflect on the enduring relevance of Steve Biko’s life and political thought in the present moment. His lecture will examine the persistent historical wounds of apartheid, the limitations of legal redress, and the ethical and intellectual imperatives of justice in South Africa, particularly within the broader reparative quest. We believe that his voice, and his critical engagement with pressing scholarly and political debates, speaks powerfully to our current moment. His contribution promises to enrich public dialogue in ways that will resonate well beyond Stellenbosch University.

The Africa Day Lecture series is hosted by the Vice Chancellor of Stellenbosch University and jointly coordinated through the Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and the Reparative Quest (AVReQ), in partnership with the Centre for Collaboration in Africa (CCA) and the Centre for the Advancement of Social Impact and Transformation (CASiT). This lecture series aims to foster robust public discourse by bringing together leading scholars, activists, and practitioners whose work interrogates the complexities of African futures, memory, and institutional transformation. Past lectures have featured eminent scholars, writers, public intellectuals, artists, and scientists, including Prof Gabeba Baderoon, Prof Jonathan Jansen, Judge Thina Siwendu, and Dr Chidi Chike Achebe.

Professor Joel Modiri

Joel M Modiri the acting Deputy Dean: Teaching and Learning and Head of the Department of Jurisprudence in the Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria. He holds the degrees LLB cum laude (Pret) and PhD (Pret). His PhD thesis was entitled “The Jurisprudence of Steve Biko: A Study in Race, Law and Power in the ‘Afterlife’ of Colonial-apartheid”. His research and teaching interests are located in the broad field of jurisprudence and relate to critical race theory, Black political thought and African philosophy. His current projects intersect under two umbrellas rooted in the ethics and politics of the global Black radical tradition: Azanian critical theory and constitutional abolitionism. He was recently appointed as a United Nations Independent Eminent Expert in the area of race and racial discrimination.

Event Details

Title: The Three Deaths of Steve Biko: Towards a Jurisprudence of the Irreparable
Speaker: Professor Joel Modiri, University of Pretoria

Click HERE to register
For more information, you can contact: Ceasar (ceasar@sun.ac.za) or Shanté Neff (shante@sun.ac.za)