François Nel is an award-winning educator, journalist and researcher who thinks of himself as a boundary spanner, working to connect both the formal classroom and the wider community with the newsroom, the boardroom, (research) reading room.Born in Zimbabwe, François spent more than a decade in the United States where he earned his BA and MA degrees and gained experience in radio, television and worked as a reporter at The Charlotte Observer newspaper before heading to South Africa at the end of 1991. The following year, Francois joined the faculty of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town, where he taught media courses, developed new programmes and became a head of department. Throughout, he has remained an active freelance journalist, member of professional bodies, such as the South African National Editors Forum, and has authored two Oxford University Press texts and a number of academic papers.
In 2000, he was invited to the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, where he developed and runs the Journalism Leaders Programme as well as coordinating the Digital Editors Network and Journalism Leaders Forum series.The first academic invited to join the World Editors Forum of the World Association of Newspapers & News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), François initiated the World Newspaper Future & Change study, which he runs in collaboration with WAN-IFRA and the Norwegian School of Management.
He is currently also conducting two other research projects, ‘Laid Off: What do UK newspaper journalists do next?’ (in collaboration with journalism.co.uk ) and ‘Where else is the money? A study of online revenue models at UK newspapersFrancois is a researcher, author and educator who works with innovating news organisations and digital media start-ups worldwide. He is the founding director ofthe pioneering Journalism Leaders Programme at UCLan, home to the UK’s oldest journalism school, and initiator of the Media And Digital Enterprise project, which is the only UK winner of the International Press Institute’s inaugural News Innovation Contest sponsored by Google.
He has initiated three ongoing studies into the impacts of technology on the business and practices of the newspaper industry, including: Where else is the money? A study on the evolving business models of newspapers in the 66 cities in Britain; Laidoff: What do UK journalists do next? and the annual World Newsmedia Innovation Study, which he initiated in 2009 in collaboration with the World Association of Newspapers & News Publishers.
“As a research-active media management educator, I see myself as a boundary spanner, working to connect both the classroom and the wider community with the newsroom, the boardroom, and the (research) reading room,” said Francois.He added: “In my case, at least, this honour should really be re-named, a National Learning Fellow. I owe an enormous debt to the many talented professionals and would-be professionals worldwide who’ve participated in my courses, workshops and research projects – and to the University for allowing me space to innovate and to continue to learn.”
Dr Dominic Pasura joined Middlesex University in August 2013 as a Research Fellow in the Social Policy Research Centre. He received his BA Honours in Philosophy and Religious Studies from the University of Zimbabwe. He then graduated with a first-class Masters in Gender and International Development, and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Warwick.
Prior to joining Middlesex University, Dominic worked as a Research Fellow at the University of Huddersfield's Centre for Applied Childhood Studies. From July 2009 to June 2010, Dominic was an ESRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University College London, where he worked on the project 'Religious Transnationalism: The Case of Zimbabwean Catholics in Britain.' £78,375.11. ESRC Grant Number: PTA-026-27-2212. The project examined the ways in which mainstream churches engendered migrants’ maintenance of transnational ties and improved their integration into British society.
He teaches and writes on migration, diasporas and transnationalism; integration of migrants and refugees; religion among the New African diasporas; African studies; and childhood studies. Over the past five years, Dominic has published over 18 articles in peer-reviewed journals and edited books. His book, 'African Transnational Diasporas: Fractured Communities and Plural Identities of Zimbabweans in Britain' , will be published by Palgrave Macmillan in April 2014. The book will offer a framework for understanding African transnational diasporas as well as chart the migration, settlement and transnational connections of Zimbabweans in Britain. Dominic is currently working on a series of new projects on transnational engagements, transnational families and African Traditional Religion in the diaspora.
Tendi is interested in intellectuals, society and the state; the political role of African militaries;
Southern African politics (especially Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Madagascar,
Swaziland); and the role of regional organisations in crisis resolution in Africa. Tendi is a regular
contributor to the Guardian newspaper (UK) and has provided political commentary for the BBC,
CNN, Sky News, Press TV, NPR Radio, amongst others
Miles Tendi convenes the History and Politics Foundation Course for the MPhil in Development
Studies, as well as teaching on the Research Methods (qualitative) Foundation Course.
Books and Monographs
Tendi, Miles Blessing (2010) Making History in Mugabe's Zimbabwe: Politics, Intellectuals and the Media, Peter Lang
Publishing Inc
Journal Articles and Special Issues
Tendi, Miles Blessing (2013) 'Ideology, Civilian Authority and the Zimbabwean Military', Journal of Southern African
Studies 39 (4) (Download from external site)
Tendi, Miles Blessing (2013) 'A View from Inside Robert Mugabe's 2013 Presidential Election Campaign', Journal of
Southern African Studies 39 (4): 829-43
Tendi, Miles Blessing (with Jocelyn Alexander, JoAnn McGregor) (eds) (2013) 'Special Issue: Politics, Patronage and
Violence in Zimbabwe', Journal of Southern African Studies 39 (4)
Tendi, Miles Blessing (2011) 'Robert Mugabe and Toxicity: History and Context Matter', Representation 47(3): 307-
18
Tendi, Miles Blessing (with N Cheeseman) (2010) 'Power-sharing in Comparative Perspective: The Dynamics of
Unity Government in Kenya and Zimbabwe', Journal of Modern African Studies 48(2): 203-29
Tendi, Miles Blessing (with J Alexander) (2008) 'A Tale of Two Elections: Zimbabwe at the Polls in 2008', ACAS
Bulletin (Special Issue on Zimbabwe 2)80: 5-17
Tendi, Miles Blessing (with J Alexander) (2008) 'Violence and Zimbabwe's 2008 Elections', Politique Africaine 111:
111-129
Tendi, Miles Blessing (2008) 'Patriotic History and Public Intellectuals Critical of Power', Journal of Southern African
Studies 34(2): 379-96
Other Publications
Tendi, Miles Blessing (2010) 'How Intellectuals Made History in Zimbabwe',London: Africa Research Institute
Dr Mabweazara joined Falmouth University from Edinburgh Napier University
(Scotland), where he completed his Doctoral Studies in Journalism with a study of the
new media and mainstream journalism practice in Africa. Prior to coming to the UK he
taught Journalism and cognate subject areas in Zimbabwe at the National University of
Science and Technology and at the Zimbabwe Open University.
The principal focus of his research interests lies in the field of the new digital media and
journalism practice in Africa and the wider global South. His publications in this area
feature in a number of international peer reviewed journals and edited book volumes.
As well as serving on the editorial board of Digital Journalism (an international peer-
reviewed journal published by Routledge), Dr Mabweazara is the Book Reviews Editor
of Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies, a peer-reviewed journal co-published by
Routledge and UNISA Press. He is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
(FHEA).
Publications and research outputs
2013
Mabweazara, H. M. (2013) ‘It’s Our Paper!’ Ethnic Identity Politics and Indigenous
Language Newspapers Readers in Zimbabwe: The Case of uMthunywa. In Mano,
W. (Ed.) Racism, Ethnicity and the Media in Africa: Mediating conflict in the Twenty-
First Century, London: I.B. Tauris.
Tags: Book chapter
2013
Mabweazara, H. M. (in press, 2013) Introduction: Online Journalism in Africa:
Trends, Practices and Emerging Cultures. In Mabweazara, H.M., Mudhai, O.F. &
Whittaker, J. (Eds.) Online Journalism in Africa: Trends, Practices and Emerging
Cultures. London: Routledge (Co-authored with Okoth Mudhai & Jason Whittaker).
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