Caribbean intellectual Prof David Scott brings Small Axe and big questions to South Africa

TimesLIVE

3 days ago

For JIAS, Small Axe is more than a journal; it's a partner in a broader intellectual project. The University of Johannesburg enjoys a close relationship with the University of the West Indies (UWI). Collis-Buthelezi hopes to deepen ties through joint projects with Small Axe and UWI's international school for developmental justice.
'It's about circulating key thinkers today and germinating ideas. We want South-South exchanges to be robust, to be led from places such as Johannesburg, Kingston, Accra. Not dictated by old colonial metropoles.'
For younger academics, the events underscore the unglamorous but vital work of building the intellectual community.
'The work of building a journal is about commitment, rigour and care and making space for voices that might otherwise never be heard,' Scott told workshop participants.
Collis-Buthelezi hopes that message resonates. 'This is the time to hold ground for each other and for forms of academic freedom that enable ethical life for all,' she said.
Scott's visit, with its mix of public engagement and behind-the-scenes editorial work, offered a glimpse of the future JIAS envisions, where new ideas emerge from sustained conversations across oceans, disciplines and histories. In a city built on gold, this is the other sort of treasure Johannesburg can offer: a space where thinkers meet, challenge each other and decide together what the next questions should be.