Multilingual Margins: A journal of multilingualism from the periphery

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Afterword

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This Special Issue uses the African concept of ukuzilanda to reflect on the authors’ experiences of ‘becoming an academic’ at UWC. Central to this experience is the writing retreat, in particular one held inMay 2022, during which the authors engaged in a reflective writing session, which gave impetus to this volume.

Back cover

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Editorial

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Introduction: Building decolonial learning and teaching through connecting to our diverse pasts: a case for ukuzilanda

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The authors of this special issue – Nondwe Mpuma, Martina van Heerden, Khanyiso Jonas and Robyn Tyler - are part of a cohort of early career academics in the Arts and Humanities Faculty at the University of the Western Cape. We are joined by co-author Athambile Masola from the University of Cape Town. We are all fewer than 5 years into our permanent position as a lecturer at our institution. We come from Lubaleko, Kariega, Durban, eMonti and Cape Town and we speak isiXhosa, Afrikaans, English and isiZulu. Our academic disciplines
within Arts and Humanities include Linguistics, English Literature, Sociology, Academic Literacies and Historical Studies.
The foregrounding of our academic, geographic and linguistic identity positions within the body of this introduction is intentional.

A/part: Writing retreats as spaces fostering a sense of belonging for academic staff

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In June 2022, I attended a teaching and learning writing retreat with other early career researchers, the deputy dean of teaching and learning of the faculty, and the teaching and learning specialist for our faculty. I had recently completed my teaching portfolio as part of my probationary requirements and had been asked to join the retreat to guide and assist the other early career researchers who were working on their teaching portfolios at the time. At this specific retreat, we had quite a few frank discussions about our teaching and learning background experiences and we were given the space to be vulnerable and open with one another. At the time, I was working on a paper on student belonging, and I noted the parallel between what I was reading about student belonging and what I was experiencing at the retreat: a profound sense of being a part of a group, of belonging.

‘Ungazilanda in so many ways’ – Theory-making in African languages

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Background: In this interview, conducted over Zoom on 13 February 2023, Robyn Tyler (RT) is in conversation with Athambile Masola (AM) and Nondwe Mpuma (NM). Both Athambile and Nondwe are published South African poets as well as full time academics. Athambile published ‘Ilifa’ in 2021 and Nondwe published ‘Peach Country’ in 2022. The transcript of the interview, which has been edited by all three authors, follows, interspersed with reflections by Robyn on the content (in italics).

Memory and Ukuzilanda

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Background: The concept, better yet the word ukuzilanda comprises several meanings and must be understood as a word in two parts, “landa” as being the lexical item and “ukuzi” as a combined prefix. This understanding is by no means grammatically correct or posing as though it is from a linguist. By combined prefix, I mean that “ukuzi” can be broken down further to “uku” and “zi”; one indicating the act
of doing and the other indicating an individual subject respectively.

OoNomfundo: a teacher raised by teachers

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Background: The inspiration for this reflection piece originates from dialoguesn shared with colleagues over mealtimes at the 2022 Learning and Teaching Arts Faculty Writing Retreat for early career researchers and academics. As an early career academic, researcher and relatively newly appointed member of the Linguistics Department at the University of the Western Cape at the time of the retreat, it was these moments that allowed me to find my feet in what was initially a daunting experience. Through the conversations, laughter and sometimes tears, we began to share pieces of ourselves - from the commonality of our present daily personal lives right to our lived experiences and histories.