Stephanie Cawood

Stephanie Cawood obtained her PhD in 2011 with her thesis titled, The Rhetorical Imprint of Nelson Mandela as Reflected in Public Speeches, 1950-2004. In her thesis, she argued that the structure of human thought and consciousness is derived from the nature of embodied experience and that all forms of expression are the products of this dynamic interaction. She is also interested in other aspects of orality, such as the interplay amongst ritual, memory and space.

Currently, she is a Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Africa Studies at the University of the Free State (South Africa) as well as Programme Director of the Programme for Africa Studies in the Centre. She teaches in the Africa and Gender Studies programmes and is involved in postgraduate supervision.  

Dr Cawood’s research at ASCL follows on her doctoral research on Nelson Mandela’s rhetorical imprint, and will explore the conceptual, cultural, ideological and historical influences that shaped the thought and rhetoric of Nelson Mandela. She is particularly interested in studying the intertextual dynamics in Mandela’s rhetoric with historical figures such as Jawarharlal Nehru, Martin Luther King Jr and Winston Churchill. The aim of this research is to deepen the understanding of Nelson Mandela’s rhetorical journey from struggle to liberation and unpack the various influences that made him the political figure he ultimately became.

Recent publications:

Cawood, S. 2014. The ‘Recalcitrant Other’: The rhetorical identity and struggle of Nelson Mandela. Africa Insight 44(1): 38 – 50.

Cawood, S. 2014. The rhetoric of ritual: Sacred sites and the oral tradition in the Mohakare Valley. In: P. Post, P.J. Nel & W. van Beek (Eds.). Sacred Spaces and Contested Identities: Space and Ritual Dynamics in Europe and Africa. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press. Chapter 11: pp 203 – 224. ISBN 9781592219544. 

Cawood, S. & De Wet, J.C. 2014. The rhetorical imprint from a constructivist perspective. Communitas, 19(2014): 60 – 79.

Cawood, S. & Moephuli, J. 2014. Site descriptions of the sacred sites of the eastern Free State.  In: P. Post, P.J. Nel & W. van Beek (Eds.). Sacred Spaces and Contested Identities: Space and Ritual Dynamics in Europe and Africa. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press. Addendum: pp 27 - 38. ISBN 9781592219544.