#HERIspotlight: Stella Basinyi

Stella Basinyi is a postdoc at UCT’s Department of Archaeology and one of HERI’s Advancing Womxn fellows. Her work investigates who owns, constructs, and controls the narratives of two heritage sites, who is excluded, and seeks to understand why.

Specifically, she has researched the interpretations of rock art in the Tsodilo Hills World Heritage Site and the human origins narratives interpreted from the Makgadikgadi landscape.

Forming the basis of her PhD research, Basiunyi works with local community groups to look closely at how science or scientific practice influences culture and vice versa. She is especially interested in whether a person’s background, for example their political, cultural or economic leanings, and their philosophical foundation influences their interpretation of archaeological material.

Basinyi has published three book chapters and a monograph illustrating the relevance of archaeological heritage, culture and local communities in the present.

“Much is said about the pool of African fellowship candidates being small and it being hard to find the right people. This has not been our experience at all, and Stella is a testament to that,” says HERI Director Dr Robyn Pickering.

“It is an incredible privilege for HERI to have someone of her calibre and experience join us, and we look forward to supporting the next chapter in her research career.”

1. What excites you most about the palaeosciences?

The palaeosciences are a male (often foreign) dominated space that are well known to be challenged in terms of gender inequality and racial discrimination, it is exciting to see this status quo being challenged and the intricacies of human origins and the African past increasingly being told by women, influential women, leading to changing narratives about human biological and cultural diversity and evolution.

2. Describe your research in three words

Bold, Reflective, Essential    

3. Who is your biggest inspiration?

I get inspiration from the communities I do research in. I am often amazed by the lessons I leave with after every encounter, which mostly motivate me to have a degree of reflexivity in my research process.

Once while I was carrying out field work at Tsodilo Hills World Heritage Site, I observed men dominated the discussion in a Village Kgotla meeting while the women merely participated. You would have assumed their voices were not represented in this context. The meeting consisted of the Hambukushu (Bantu group) and Ju/'hoansi (San group) residents in Tsodilo. Later in the evening, I also observed the follow-up discussion at the Ju/hoansi residence. The Ju/hoansi in Tsodilo are very few  as compared to the Hambukushu, and the women are uncomfortable presenting their views and opinions in this male dominated space of a Kgotla in Tswana language. So, they held meetings with the Ju/hoansi men at their residence before and after the kgotla meetings. These “home” meetings were often led and dominated by women, with their issues then presented by the men at the Kgotla.

4. What has been your biggest academic challenge?

I have always struggled with balancing academic duties and family life. To be an ambitious woman in academia often means losing out on nurturing a good family life. It is scary seeing how women struggle with the workload and responsibilities as mothers, spouses, and active members of the community. In some cases, one of the two suffers. However, I now see myself most fortunate to be in an academic environment dominated by women at HERI. The support is undeniable,  I do not take it lightly, and I am most grateful for the support of my supervisor Professor Rebecca Ackermann. Amid it all, the Covid-19 pandemic has been brutal!

5. What is the soundtrack to your studies?

One of my favourites is by Charlie Simpson & San Bushmen called, Walking with The San.