On Thursday, 29 May, the AVReQ community gathered for a seminar featuring research proposal presentations by our first-year MA and PhD students. This annual event forms a core part of our academic development programme, offering students an opportunity to present their research-in-progress before peers, supervisors, and faculty. More than a milestone in the postgraduate journey, the session reflects AVReQ’s commitment to nurturing thoughtful scholarship and a collaborative research environment.

Each student was invited to present their emerging research, with particular attention focused on the development of their literature reviews and theoretical frameworks. Building on a recent workshop with Prof Mzikazi Nduna, students were encouraged to consider not only the literature they were engaging with, but also how this scholarship is shaping their thinking, arguments, and methodologies.

The presentations covered a wide range of themes, including post-apartheid masculinities, schizophrenia in the Cape Flats, spatial trauma in Cape Town, Islamic resistance in the Western Cape, and the politics of genocide recognition, demonstrating the rich, interdisciplinary character of research within the Centre. Across all the presentations, a common thread emerged: the students’ willingness to engage critically and courageously with complex questions of identity, memory, violence, and repair.

The seminar was attended by supervisors, postdoctoral fellows, faculty members, and AVReQ staff, creating a space for lively feedback, shared learning, and scholarly camaraderie. We are immensely proud of the rigour and insight displayed by our postgraduate cohort and look forward to seeing how their projects evolve in the coming months.

This event is one of many ways in which AVReQ supports postgraduate researchers, not only through formal supervision and training but also through collective spaces of dialogue, encouragement, and intellectual generosity.