Professor Rozena Maart works at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal in the School of Social Science. She served as the director of the Centre for Critical Research on Race and Identity [CCRRI] for five years from 2012 until 216. She took her undergraduate education at the University of the Western Cape, her Masters at the University of York in the UK, and her PhD at the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies at the University of Birmingham, UK.

 

Her work examines the intersections between and among Political Philosophy, Black Consciousness, Derridean deconstruction and psychoanalysis, all of which address questions of race, gender and identity.  In 1986, at the age of 24, who was nominated to the "Woman of the Year," award in South Africa for her work in the area of gender-based violence and for starting with four women the first Black feminist organisation in South Africa: Women Against Repression [W.A.R.].  Prof. Maart also writes fiction and is the winner of "The Journey Proze: Best Short Fiction in Canada," 1992. Her fiction books have made the African Studies Association short-list for the Aidoo-Snyder Book Prize in honour of Ama Ato Aidoo in 2010, the HOMEBRU list in South Africa in 2006 and the bestseller list in Canada in 2005. 

 

Prof. Maart has served on the scientific committee of the first South-South Philosophy textbook, titled, Philosophy Manual, A South-South Perspective, which is a UNESCO project and represents Africa, South and Central America, the Arab region, and Asia.   She is a member of the Caribbean Philosophy Association, having completed a five-year term as Black Consciousness and Psychoanalysis Secretary; Philosophy Born of Struggle, the Collegium of Black Women in Philosophy and the International Assembly of Women in Philosophy [UNESCO].  Professor Maart has published several books, journal articles and book chapters. She has supervised Arts students and opened for a number of artists across the globe. She has opened art events, opened for museums and galleries in Canada and South Africa over the past twenty years and has also made videos and written reviews of art exhibitions.

 

Over the past 8 years, she has hosted and conducted several writing workshops across South African universities, some of which also include students in architecture at UKZN. In 2016, she received the William R. Jones lifetime achievement award from Philosophy Born of Struggle for her work in Philosophy, especially her ground-breaking work in Philosophy Born of Massacres. In January 2019 Professor Maart was appointed as an International Research Ambassador to the University of Bremen in Germany.