I am an experienced reader and published freelance writer available to help you with writing, editing and proofreading for academic and commercial publication. I also write original material for commissions and offer translation services for Xhosa and French to English.
- shape your ideas
- refine your argument
- proofread your manuscripts
Publications History
Forthcoming:
- Tiyo Soga: A Literary History Pretoria: UNISA Press.
- Book Chapter: 'Omission and Elision: Missing the target in the biographies of the Reverend Tiyo Soga' in DACB Anniversary Conference Book Robert, Dana (Ed).
- Review Article: ‘Mobilizing Translational Gender Politics in Post-Genocide Rwanda’ by Rirhandu Mageza-Barthel in African Affairs.
- Merrington, Morgan (Ed). Including the Excluded: Educating the Vulnerable for the 21st Century Johannesburg and Cape Town: Pearson Press. I contributed a chapter ‘Supporting teachers of refugee children’ for this higher education textbook.
Published:
Academic Papers:
- April 2015. ‘Family Trees: Roots and Branches - The Legacy and Dynasty of the Reverend Tiyo Soga’ in Studies in World Christianity Vol. 21 Issue 1. 20-37.
- April 2006 I co-authored a paper ‘Opaque Young Lives: Experiences of Lesbian Youth’ with Danielle Kowen. Agenda 2,3 No 67. 80-92.
Review Articles:
- January 2017. ‘Africa-Centred Knowledges: Crossing Fields and Worlds,’ B. Cooper and A. Morrell (Eds) in African Affairs Volume 116:462.151-152.
- April 2016. The people's right to the novel: War fiction in the postcolony by Eleni Coundouriotis in African Affairs 380-381.
- March 2016. Into Africa: A Transnational History of Catholic Medical Missions and Social Change by Barbra Mann Wall, in History of African Women Religious historyofwomenreligious.org
- July 2015 Sexual Diversity in Africa: Politics, theory, citizenship, S.N. Nyeck and M. Epprecht (Eds) in African Affairs.
- April 2015. The borders of race in colonial South Africa: The Kat River Settlement 1829-1856 by Robert Ross in African Affairs.
Poetry:
- November 2013 One of my poems, ‘Trinket’, was published in this journal. Agenda No 98. 109.
- August 2009 One of my poems ‘Daylight Holdheat’ was published in Whispers on the Breeze. United Press.
- October 2006 One of my poems, ‘Nobody’s Fool,’ was published in Agenda 23 No 69. 100.
Freelance
I write, edit for a range of publications and organisations, like Newsdesk Media. My work is published in African Union publications, particularly. I translate French and Xhosa into English and am involved in data visualisation and graphic communication strategy for my husband's web development company, admataz.com.
Conference and Seminar Papers:
Forthcoming:
May 2017: Translating God Translating Christianities Research Group, Literature and Languages, Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Stirling. I will present a paper ‘Aspects of the history of the translation of the Bible into Xhosa: aetiology of an argument.’
Presented:
- September 2016 New Histories of Christianity in Southern Africa Cambridge University, UK.
I delivered a paper ‘The Old is the New: The importance of archival holdings in building heritage.’
- June 2016. Liverpool International Conference: The Bible in African and Asian Christianity.
I delivered a paper ‘Aspects of the history of the translation of the Bible into Xhosa: authority, aesthetics, authenticity.’
- October 2015 African Christian Biography: Narratives, Beliefs, and Boundaries Boston University
I presented a paper ‘Omission and Elision: Missing the target in the biographies of the Reverend Tiyo Soga’ at this conference.
- April 2015 Colonial Christian Missions and their Legacies University of Copenhagen
I presented a paper ‘Representing Soga: lessons in Romanticism’ at this conference.
- February 2015 African Intellectual Mobilities – Colloquium at the University of York
I presented a paper ‘Shifting Contours: Travel in the life and writings of the Reverend Tiyo Soga’.
- 18 August 2014 Sociology Department Seminar Series, University of Cape Town
I presented a seminar paper to the Sociology Seminar Group on the translation of the Bible into Xhosa. I also gave a full lecture to 2nd Year Sociology Students on the topic ‘Rev Tiyo Soga and the Ideas of Modernity’.
- 16 June 2014 Yale-Edinburgh Group on the History of the Missionary Movement and World Christianity
I presented a paper ‘Family Trees: Roots and Branches - The dynasty and legacy of the Reverend Tiyo Soga’ on my research into Reverend Soga’s parents and children’s involvement in mission life.
- 27 May 2013 Seminar Paper: Christian Missions in World History, Institute of Historical Research, SOAS University, London.
Audio. I presented a paper ‘The Audacity of Veracity: The Role of Tiyo Soga in the Translation of the Bible into Xhosa’ in which I discussed the history of the translation of the Bible into Xhosa, and implications for the study of the translation of the Bible in other African communities.
- July 2002 The First International Film and History Conference, University of Cape Town
- I delivered a paper titled ‘Problems with Paradigms: Darcus Howe and the Colonial Gaze’ in which I argued that Darcus Howe had adopted the colonial gaze in his depiction of his travels in Britain and the West Indian Islands.
Qualifications
- May 2006 – October 2012 D LITT et PHIL, Department of English, University of South Africa
I researched the English works of nineteenth century Eastern Cape intellectual Reverend Tiyo Soga, who was educated in Scotland between 1846 and 1856 and ordained in Glasgow in 1856, for my doctoral thesis.
- September 2009 – Feb 2010 Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector, City & Guilds
- July 1999 – June 2004 MA Creative Writing, University of Cape Town
I wrote a novel, titled, ‘There Must Have Been A Storm’ for this degree.
- June 2004 Assessor Accreditation, Institute for Quality: Education, Training & Development
- July 1995 - June 1996 Honours in English Language and Literature, University of Cape Town
- February 1992 - November 1994 Bachelor of Arts, University of Cape Town
I majored in English and French, and achieved Xhosa II (Standard) in the same year.
Research Posts
January 2017 – present: Research Associate, Centre of World Christianity, Department of Religions and Philosophy, SOAS, University of London.
jo at jojiki dot com
2017