PROF JONATHAN JANSEN
Photo: Supplied
What is your field of specialty, and could you please give a brief explanation of it?
Curriculum theory, which means I try to make sense of the purposes, organisation, and politics of knowledge. The field of application for my particular angle on the field is the school curriculum and the university curriculum. Rather than take school or university knowledge for granted, I ask questions of what is often taken-for-granted: whose knowledge, where does it come from, and how is it used?
How would you say your research contributes to the concept of “research for impact”?
I think the first purpose of any inquiry is deep understanding not (instrumental) impact. Unless you first grapple with the meaning of a complex problem or puzzle, rushing towards solution or what some call “impact” is premature.
What does attaining an A-rating mean to you professionally, and personally?
It is a huge honour to be taken seriously by your international peers for the quality of work. And then of course given where one comes from—for me the Boland by birth and the Cape Flats by upbringing---it means a lot. But like all things worth achieving, I am always conscious of the many people who made this possible including my family, friends and without question, my students from first-year undergraduate to postdoc fellows. I am nothing without them.
What do you enjoy most about your job and what are the aspects that you find challenging?
To be able to work at a university where the leadership basically tells you. Welcome to Stellenbosch. You have nothing to prove. Here’s some start-up money and building space and basic support, now get on with it and do what you do best. That’s my definition of heaven.
What is the biggest piece of advice that you would give early-career researchers and those who are aspiring to become leaders in their respective research fields?
Get the question right. Nothing matters more than a compelling research question of high intellectual value and, depending on your field, scientific impact.
What do you do for fun (apart from research!)?
I love sports. My world comes to a standstill when the Blue Bulls play. I am easily transported into other worlds through my music playlists. And I love kuiering with good friends.
Jonathan Jansen is Distinguished Professor of Education at Stellenbosch University and President of the Academy of Science of South Africa. He is a curriculum theorist, and his research is concerned with the politics of knowledge. His most recent book is The decolonization of knowledge (Cambridge University Press, with Cyrill Walters). He started his career as a high school science teacher and holds a PhD (Stanford). He holds an A-1 rating from the National Research Foundation and four honorary doctorates.