Academic research
LitNet Akademies is LitNet's accredited academic journal. An extended English abstract is published with every article.
Ingrid Winterbach’s Buller se plan (1999) and Onrus op Steynshoop (2024) as town novels
2026-01-15"Investigating the (narratological and representational) differences in the Steynshoops of the two novels allows me the opportunity to reflect on how rural South Africa has changed in the quarter century between the two novels, and how these changes are mirrored and negotiated in the genre of the town novel."
Calvin, the sublime, and modern aesthetic experience
2025-12-15"Calvin’s repeated insistence that the faithful should be overwhelmed, astonished, and left utterly speechless by the revelation of God’s glory when contemplating the beauty and magnificence of nature is of particular interest here."
The potential utility of ChatGPT and DeepSeek for teaching Afrikaans taboo language, factors that may drive the use of cursing chatbots and implications for education
2025-12-12"[D]ue to a lack of research regarding the integration of chatbots in schools to teach taboo words, the purpose of this research was to better understand the implications for education if chatbots are integrated in schools to teach taboo words."
The believing woman’s bodily discontent: A holistic pastoral perspective
2025-12-09"A key discovery is the strong link between bodily discontent and a spiritual void – specifically, a failure to base one’s identity and worth on God’s unconditional love and the truth of being created in God’s image."
The limitations of a balanced approach to literacy instruction – a normative perspective
2025-12-09"In summary, this conceptual review highlights critical shortcomings of balanced literacy in South Africa. We argue that learning to read is not a natural process but a learned skill that requires an approach that scaffolds instruction."
Death and enjoyment of life in the book of Ecclesiastes and in the poems of Breyten Breytenbach
2025-12-01"Although Breytenbach and the author of Ecclesiastes lived centuries apart, their thinking concerning death and the enjoyment of life mirrors each other. Both were convinced that death is the final end to life."
Novice teachers’ experiences of induction into neoliberal school environments: a case study
2025-12-01"How beginner teachers (BTs) adapt to teaching practice can be decisive for their professional development [...]. However, increasingly neoliberal school cultures can negatively impact how BTs are inducted into the profession, which can negatively affect their professional development."
When poetry becomes more than words: an edusemiotic teaching approach
2025-11-27"Poetry is uniquely positioned for an edusemiotic pedagogy due to its form, sound, and imagery density. While conventional teaching has relied on textual analysis, poetry also thrives in performance, music, visual representation, and digital adaptation."
The impact of artificial intelligence (AI), generative artificial intelligence GAI), and robotics on healthcare: Will doctors become redundant?
2025-11-24"I explore the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics on the healthcare sector and specifically discuss the potential of AI to radically reshape medical practice, healthcare delivery, and drug development."
Music and dance in the work and life of Rumi (1207–73)
2025-11-21"The music of the samā’ inspired Rumi’s thousands of poems which he often dictated during mystical ecstasy. For Rumi beauty in this world was an imprint and proof of the Divine; he regarded poetry, music and sacred dance as a way in which the beauty of form could attain the Formless. During samā’ ceremonies Sufi poetry is recited accompanied by music and dance."
Is the comprehension and asking of wh-questions related to the socioeconomic status of mother-tongue speakers of Afrikaans in the Foundation Phase?
2025-11-18"Question-asking plays a fundamental role in how children come to understand the world around them. When children ask questions, including wh-questions (those that begin with words like who, what, when, where, why and how), they actively engage in learning, because question-asking is a means of exploring concepts and building knowledge."
Critical success factors of scuba diving enterprises: a comparative study
2025-11-10"The orientation of this study rests on the understanding that scuba diving cannot be regarded simply as a recreational activity, but rather as a multifaceted business opportunity integrated with sustainable tourism practices, marine conservation, and community involvement."
The use of information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance reading instruction in English: a case study
2025-11-10"We recognise that the integration of ICT into classrooms is not merely the introduction of new technology, but a complex process involving the alignment of pedagogical strategies with curriculum expectations and technological advancement."
Misanthropic, repulsive and controversial: an exploration of Afrikaans black metal
2025-11-07"The article specifically examines the development of Afrikaans black metal, discussing various bands, their lyrics and themes, and relating them to the broader international black metal scene."
Mourning melodies: Eugène N. Marais’ "Winternag" as verse and song
2025-11-04"To illustrate the interaction between verse and song, this essay also briefly discusses musical features such as text metre, musical rhythm, and the traditional four-bar phrase structure, and provides a concise history of Afrikaans songwriting."
A world view of clinical legal education: Central, eastern and western Europe
2025-10-28"A global overview of clinical legal education (CLE) shows that there are ongoing efforts worldwide to promote CLE. The development of university law clinics and CLE in central, eastern and western Europe indicates concrete attempts to expose law students to legal practice in various ways."
A world view of clinical legal education: Central Asia, the Middle East, East Asia and South-East Asia, as well as South Asia
2025-10-28"A global overview of clinical legal education (CLE) shows that there are ongoing efforts worldwide to promote CLE. The development of university law clinics and CLE in Central Asia, the Middle East, East Asia and South-East Asia indicates concrete attempts to expose law students to legal practice in various ways, often under very challenging circumstances."
An exploratory study of code-switching patterns in the utterances of preschool Afrikaans-Dutch children
2025-10-23"The study takes as its starting point the characteristics of congruent lexicalisation and the specific dynamics of code-switching between closely related languages to explore and describe the code-switching patterns found in the utterances of preschool Afrikaans–Dutch children during the BFLA process."
If only the bones could speak – themes from the Homo naledi burial discourse
2025-10-21"What initially seemed to be just an addition to the hominin fossil record, has since evolved into a broader and complex discourse that encompasses themes such as what humanness means and how science should be practised and disseminated."
J.D. Kestell: Religious beliefs for peace and the continuation of the struggle during the South African War (Anglo-Boer War)
2025-10-14"Dr. John Daniel Kestell is often called Father Kestell because of his special role as a field preacher during the South African War (Anglo-Boer War). He was regarded as the father of the Afrikaner people at that time."
