The Department of History has a long tradition of supervising Master’s dissertations and Ph.D. theses. For obvious reasons, Unisa historians have always focused very strongly on topics that are relevant in South African scholarship, especially in the fields of colonial history and the history of apartheid. Thus, many Unisa graduates have been supervised who completed their studies on various relevant aspects of the economic, social, cultural, and political history of South Africa.
Since South Africa’s colonial past embedded the country into various international linkages, some students also explored the different ways in which South African history has become part of a wider network of global relations. Such topics range from the international ramifications of the South African War (1899-1902) to the Cold War conflicts on the African continent and the international protests against the apartheid regime. Some members of the Department also have the necessary expertise to supervise topics that extend beyond the scope of southern African and general African themes. These themes include American histories, China-Africa relations, and select themes from world histories and intellectual history.
We recommend very strongly that potential candidates for Master’s and Doctoral degrees contact the Department of History before they embark on their research projects. It goes without saying that any efficient supervision of postgraduate research must be based on the expertise of the supervisor in the respective field. If you want to do your research in a very narrowly defined area that has no connection at all with the themes that Unisa historians can cover, such as the microhistory of a specific community in a foreign country, you may find that the Department does not have the necessary expertise in your particular field of interest. If this is the case, we may not be able to provide students with the quality support that is required to bring an MA dissertation or a doctoral thesis to its successful completion.
To avoid any disappointment, it is therefore necessary to establish whether your envisaged research can be realistically expected to be monitored by a member of the Unisa Department of History. Please consult with the Department before you apply for studying for a postgraduate degree at Unisa. Tell us more about your research interests and plans by submitting a draft paper of three pages when you contact the Department of History.
Among the questions that the Department may want to discuss with any potential applicants for a postgraduate research project are
The following encompasses topics and themes that staff members would prefer to discuss with potential candidates for MA and doctoral studies. Please do not hesitate to contact individual staff members if you have suggestions for a research topic.
Last modified: Thu Feb 13 15:30:44 SAST 2025