Dr Michael Francis
Programme Leader and Senior Lecturer, Politics
Michael Francis, is a social scientist with extensive international field experience, showcasing a diverse research profile. His expertise spans qualitative and quantitative methodologies, research ethics, and postgraduate supervision, with a primary focus on social change and development. His research portfolio demonstrates a commitment to both academic scholarship and applied research, addressing real-world challenges in collaboration with diverse stakeholders. With a track record of successful grant acquisition and supervision of numerous postgraduate students, he continues to make significant contributions to advancing knowledge and fostering positive societal change.
Michael Francis, exhibits a teaching portfolio characterized by versatility and commitment to pedagogical innovation. With experience across diverse academic levels and subjects, including Politics, International Relations, Development Studies, Economics, and Anthropology, he has demonstrated adeptness in delivering engaging lectures and fostering critical thinking among students. His teaching approach extends beyond conventional methods, encompassing experiential learning, participatory pedagogy, and real-world case studies to enhance student comprehension and application of theoretical concepts. As a Programme Leader for Politics, he has spearheaded curriculum development initiatives, ensuring relevance and currency in educational offerings. Additionally, his mentorship of undergraduate and postgraduate students, coupled with his involvement in student outreach activities and curriculum development committees, underscores his commitment to nurturing the next generation of scholars and fostering inclusive learning environments.
His research interests encompass various themes: investigating involuntary resettlement and critiquing participatory development frameworks; exploring indigenous identity and social change globally; researching social mobility through university attendance and addressing intergenerational poverty; conducting impact assessments and evaluating community engagement strategies; employing ethnographic methods to understand cultural dynamics and regional advocacy; and analysing global structures of inequality, particularly in Southern Africa's marginalized communities.
Francis, S; Francis, M; and Akinola, A. (2016) ‘The Edge of the Periphery: Situating the ≠Khomani San of the Southern Kalahari in the Political Economy of Southern Africa’ African Identities 14(4): 373-383.
Olaniyan A, Francis, M and Okeke-Uzodike, U. (2015). “The cattle are ‘Ghanaians’ but the rearers are strangers”: farmer-herder conflicts, expulsion policy and pastoralist question in Agogo, Ghana. African Studies Quarterly 15(2): 39-51.
Mulwo’ AK, KG Tomaselli and Francis, M (2012). ‘HIV/AIDS and Discourses of Denial in sub-Saharan Africa: An Afro-optimist response?’ International Journal of Cultural Studies 15(6): 567-582.
Francis, M (2010) ‘The Crossing: The invention of tradition among San descendants of the Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa’. African Identities 8(1): 39-52.
Francis, M. and Francis, S (2010) ‘Representation and Misrepresentation: San regional advocacy and the Global imagery’. Critical Arts 24(2): 210-227.
Francis, M. (2009a) ‘Contested histories: A critique in the Rock Art’ Visual Anthropology 22(4): 327-343.
Francis, M (2009b) ‘Silencing the past: Historical and archaeological colonisation of the Southern San KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa’. Anthropology Southern Africa Vol 32 (3 & 4): 106-116.
Tomaselli, KG, Dyll, L and Francis, M. (2008) “Self” and “Other”: Auto-Reflexive and Indigenous Ethnography in Handbook of Critical and Indigenous Methodologies (pp. 347-372). Sage Publications.
Francis, M (2010) ‘Cultural invention of the Southern San’ in HK Anheier and YR Isar, (eds) Heritage, Memory, Identity. Cultures and Globalization series, #4.
Francis, M. (2009) ‘San [Abatwa/‘Bushman’] Eland Ceremony [southern Africa] in Encyclopaedia of Social Movement Media. Sage Publications.
- PhD University of KwaZulu-Natal
- MA University of Natal
- BA Honours University of Alberta