Dr Richard Ballard spends October-December 2022 at Tübingen University

From October to December 2022, GCRO's Principal Researcher, Dr. Richard Ballard was based at the University of Tübingen in Germany, where he was a visiting scholar at a Collaborative Research Centre, Threatened Order – Societies under Stress. Tübingen Sociology scholars have been active in Gauteng for several years. Manuel Dieterich, has been conducting PHD research on the interactions between a middle class neighbourhood and an informal settlement in Mogale City. A number of Tübingen scholars attended a workshop in Johannesburg early in 2020, leading to an invitation to Richard to spend three months at Tübingen on a research visit.

In addition to using the visit for writing time, Richard made presentations in the Sociology Department to staff and students on urban dynamics in Gauteng. He had a number of discussions with staff at Tübingen on their research and on the possibilities of further collaboration. In particular he met with Tübingen staff involved in the Civis Programme, including members of the Geography department. In addition he visited former GCRO Executive Director, Rob Moore, in Munich.

Richard with a few of the colleagues at the Collaborative Research Centre, from left Fabian Schulz, Sonsoles Costero Quiroga, Heike Bäder, Richard Ballard and Manuel Dieterich.

Presentations

Richard Ballard (October 2022). ‘Everyday resistance: How the weak change the world’, Department of Sociology Tübingen, UnKUT research forum. 21 October 2022.

Richard Ballard (November 2022). ‘The Production of Space in Johannesburg, Gauteng’, Department of Sociology Tubingen, Urbanity in Global Perspective seminar series. 17 November 2022.

Richard Ballard (December 2022). Gated communities and spatial theory. Masters seminar, Department of Sociology Tübingen, 13 December 2022.