Thatshisiwe Ndlovu is a researcher and PhD fellow at Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI). Her PhD project currently in progress at the University of Witwatersrand broadly examines the relationship between culture and violence in a specific setting in South Africa. She specifically seeks to contribute to an understanding of how practices embedded in the Ukuthwala (bride abduction) custom, even if contested, significantly affect women’s lives. She also holds MA in Development Studies, an Honours degree in Development studies obtained from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Bachelor in Arts obtained from the University of Zimbabwe. Her research interests also include women and gender studies, feminist thought, social justice, class, intersectionality and identity. She is a budding academic who has received academic awards and scholarships, including the Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa doctoral fellowship, University of the Witwatersrand’s Council Postgraduate Merit Scholarship, AW Mellon Foundation Scholarship and University of the Witwatersrand’s Postgraduate Merit Award Doctoral Scholarship.
