Academic research
LitNet Akademies is LitNet's accredited academic journal. An extended English abstract is published with every article.
The scholastic bibliology of Petrus van Mastricht (1630–1706)
2025-05-16"The existing scholarship rightly emphasises Van Mastricht’s scholastic methodology, Trinitarian doctrine, and polemics against René Descartes’ rationalism, as well as his views on the relationship between faith and reason."
Cancel culture as a form of punitive shaming in Etienne van Heerden’s novel Die biblioteek aan die einde van die wêreld
2025-05-13"The novel is used as a critical case study to explore the complex dynamics of cancel culture, which serves as a modern mechanism for social punishment, often manifesting as public shaming, ostracism and scapegoating."
A future creating workshop as an online data generation strategy in an action research approach
2025-05-09"Academic researchers tend to be creatures of habit, often relying on tried and tested methods to approach and conduct research studies. However, like many sectors globally, academia was not untouched by the COVID-19 pandemic."
Jonah and his theological trauma
2025-05-08"How can Jonah’s theological trauma be described? Jonah, as a prophet, does have a knowledge and concept of God in his mind, which is in tension with his experience of God."
Confession and forgiveness in Leviticus
2025-04-17"The question addressed in this article is whether there is a link between confession and forgiveness in priestly thinking."
Levinas on the warpath to peace. A critical consideration of the dilemmas with which war confronts Levinas’s thought
2025-03-25"If war inherently involves a moral suspension, what normative framework can justify calling a war just?"
Civil contempt orders post-Zondo/Zuma: the legal position and implications
2025-03-20"South African law has always recognised that contempt of court orders may be obtained in the course of civil proceedings, in particular with motion procedure, where it was necessary."
Artificial intelligence can enrich learning opportunities
2025-03-04"This article examines AI’s impact on education, focusing on how it can enhance teaching and learning experiences through the Technological, Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model."
Alienation to loss: the route from self-alienation to self-destruction in Of fathers and fugitives by S.J. Naudé
2025-02-27"Moreover, people are being increasingly alienated from others and themselves – not only in personal relationships, but also in the broader context of the social group and society within which they live and work."
I shine, o so holy: The influence of religion as a socio-cultural expectation on female teacher ("juffrou") identity construction
2025-02-27"In this study, we aim to explore the influence of religion as a socio-cultural expectation on the construction of the female teaching identity of an Afrikaner woman."
Impact and the interpersonal approach: A critical analysis of the person-centred approach to commercial forensic interviewing
2025-02-21"The objective of this study is therefore to critically discuss the interpersonal relationship in the context of commercial forensic interviews, as well as to determine the impact of the forensic practitioner on the interviewee (and vice versa)."
A conceptual lens on the use of the graphic novel in the First Additional Language classroom
2025-02-20"By employing multimodal texts, graphic novels simplify complex concepts, making them more accessible. This medium enables learners to explore social challenges and diverse cultural perspectives, leading to increased engagement and critical thinking."
Nearpod as a medium for promoting active learning within a contact model in the higher education context
2025-02-14"This study investigated how Nearpod could enhance active learning in a contact model in higher education. Sub-questions explored students’ experiences with Nearpod, its role in fostering active participation, its impact on teaching quality and learning effectiveness, and the challenges students faced."
An investigation into factors that continuously promote mathematics achievement in top performing secondary schools
2025-02-11"This article explores the factors that contribute to continuous high performance in mathematics at top-performing secondary schools in the Motheo education district of the Free State, South Africa. This study aims to identify the key elements behind these schools’ success, offering potential insights for improving mathematics education more broadly."
The promotion of critical language awareness teaching in the Afrikaans classroom
2025-02-10"To address the gap regarding a reliance on CAPS guidelines, a reflective teaching practice should be implemented, in which teachers become self-directed learners and model the process for their learners, thereby promoting the development of learners’ critical thinking skills."
The abject mother in M.S. Burger’s Bloedfamilie (2012)
2025-02-06"Although different forms of abjection emerge in Bloedfamilie, the narrator’s attempt to revolt against her mother is the most prominent. Aspects like the bodily, sexuality, violence and disease are encapsulated in the narrator’s association of her mother with the abject."
Strategies to develop life skills while Geography learners use ChatGPT-4o to interpret contour maps
2025-02-04"The rapidly changing 21st century requires learners to develop a set of life skills during education and training in order to be successful in future careers."
Press release: The 7th annual Amazwi Literature Heritage and Ecology Conference – call for papers
2025-01-30The annual Literature, Heritage and Ecology Conference hosted by Amazwi South African Museum of Literature aims to foster cooperation and interaction between the humanities and the sciences and so help mitigate the social-ecological crises we face today.
A manifesto for musical modernism in South Africa: Stefans Grové’s 1952 articles in Standpunte
2025-01-30"Grové explores the potential for creating a uniquely South African musical expression and critically reflects on the use of indigenous music in Western compositions. His perspectives highlight the complex relationship between racial segregation policies and the practice of musical primitivism, providing insights into how apartheid ideology influenced art music composition."
Rumi’s wine and intoxication metaphors
2025-01-28"By emphasizing the relation between wine/intoxication and love in Sufi poetry, the 15th century Persian Sufi poet Jāmī offers a deep perspective on the poetic function of metaphoric imagery in Sufi poetry."