The Foundation Trust — Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela

Phone: The Center for the Study of Values in Public Life
Fax: Harvard Divinity School
Postal Address
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Univ. of Cape Town: Ph.D. in Psychology, June 2000. Title of thesis: “Legacies of Violence: An Analysis of Interviews with Perpetrators of `Necklace' Murders and with Eugene de Kock.” Review Committee: Don Foster of University Cape Town; Robert Jay Lifton, John Jay College; Roberta Apfel, Harvard Medical School; and Martha Minow at the Harvard Law School.

CURRENT OCCUPATION

Visiting Fellow at the Center for the Study of Values in Public Life at the Divinity School at Harvard University. Will spend the year writing a book, to be published by Beacon Press, on reflections on my work with victims and perpetrators while serving on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Working title: “The Cry of Apartheid's Crusader.”

Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Committee member, Human Rights Violations Committee, 1996-1998

Drew up recommendations for, and designed the commission's outreach program which was first implemented in the Western Cape. Chaired many public hearings and at beginning of 1997, appointed coordinator of TRC public hearings program in the entire Western Cape. Drafted a program for and coordinated public debates on reconciliation in the Western Cape. Model adopted by other TRC regions as well. Represented the TRC at a number of conferences in South Africa and abroad.

Three major highlights: 1) Directed a successful fund-raising drive from local business to help meet the basic needs of families of the disabled in the community of Matatiele, where I worked, when government funding for disabled was frozen. 2) Reviewed adoption applications in the only black orphanage in the Eastern Cape, which served Matatiele, and discovered older children were “adopted” to use them as cheap labor. Led successful campaign that introduced stricter regulations in the adoption process. 3) Worked with women leaders in a community with a high incidence of violence by ex-patients released from a psychiatric hospital. Was part of an initiative that required the hospital to set acceptable standards for assessing readiness for the release of black patients into the community. Part of my role was to conduct interviews with black psychiatric staff who set in, or prepared documents for the hospital's review teams. Wrote appeals presented to the hospital in consultation with community leaders. These efforts earned me promotion, June 1982, to a position at the Psychiatric Hospital in Umtata, where I helped design an Alcoholic Rehabilitation Program for black alcoholics in Umtata. The program has become a successful program serving most of the Eastern Cape region.

Training in Clinical Psychology

Academic Training at Rhodes University and Internship at Queenstown Psychiatric Hospital, 1983-1984, Clinical training: psychodynamic assessment, diagnostic assessment, and qualitative research method. Masters thesis: “The Misdiagnosis of Schizophrenia Among African Patients.”

Clinical Psychologist, Umtata Psychiatric Clinic, 1985-1986 (Full time), 1987-1988 (Part time): Conducted clinical assessment, child and adult psychotherapy under supervision.

Hospital Consultant, 1987-1988 Conducted workshops for psychiatric nursing staff on culturally sensitive approaches to diagnosis of mental illness.

Brandeis University: Faculty Associate 1999-Present: Taught a course on Trauma and Memory in fall 1999 to graduate and under-graduate students. Course offered by African and African-American Studies Department.

University of Cape Town: Senior Lecturer, August 1994-1995: Taught a course on clinical assessment methods to first year graduate students.

Developed curricula on psychopathology for third year undergraduate students (1987-1989), and on psychopathology and clinical assessment methods for first year graduate students (1990-1993). Through volunteer work with traumatized women and children in a squatter camp community, designed a course that linked theory and practice.

Served as expert witness for the defense in the Supreme Court of South Africa, and consultant for human rights lawyers defending black anti-apartheid activists. Conducted extensive investigations and consultations to prepare and present psychological profiles of accused persons for legal defense teams in a number of political trials.

Participated in forensic program for the training of psycho-legal experts at University of Massachusetts Psychiatric Center in Worcester. In 1994 participated in one-day intensive training course held at Harvard Law School to prepare psychologists for licensing as expert witnesses.

Co-designed diversity workshops with conflict resolution specialist in the Western Cape. Designed problem solving models, and participated as facilitator in multi-racial corporate settings dealing with racial conflict on the job.

Public Speaking and Miscellaneous Writings — Lectures and Op-Ed Pieces, 1998-1999

Gave several lectures and workshops at institutions in the US and outside the US. (Speaking schedule for the past year follows). Topics ranged from perpetrators, to memory and to trauma. Appeared on National Public Radio, “The Connection.” Contribute op-ed pieces to two national newspapers in South Africa, (The Sunday Independent, Mail & Guardian) and recently invited by the editor of The Independent to be contributing editor to the newspaper; contributed op-ed articles published in newspapers in the United States (The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, and LA Times). Excerpts of articles appeared in the Radcliffe Quarterly (Spring 1999, Summer 1999, Summer 2000).

“Forgiveness on the stage of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.” Forthcoming, Journal of Humanistic Psychology.

“The Public Representations of Eugene de Kock,” In Truths Drawn in Jest, pp. 103-116, 2000. Cape Town: David Phillip Publishers.

"On reconciliation and reflecting on the Truth Commission." In The Global Citizen, pp. 274-276, 1998. Needham Heights: Simon and Schuster.

"Healing the racial divide? Personal reflections on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission." South African Journal of Psychology, March 1998.

"The Dynamics of a Traumatised Community: Understanding Crowd Violence and Its Aftermath." in Psycho-analytic Psychotherapy in South Africa, Vol. 4 No.2, 1996.

"Remembering and the Politics of Identity," in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy in South Africa, Vol. 3, Summer 1995.

Book review of Lives of Courage: Women for a New South Africa, edited by Diana Russell, in Women's Studies, Vol.4 No.1, March 1992

"Notions About Culture in Understanding Black Psychopathology: Are We Trying to Raise the Dead?" South African Journal of Psychology, Vol.20 No.2, 1990. Initially presented at the Psychological Association of South Africa Sixth Annual Conference, University of the Orange Free State, 1989

"Reframing Justice: Encounters Between Victims and Perpetrators on the Stage of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission." Paper presented at a conference sponsored by the Program for International Conflict Analysis and Resolution at Harvard University, September 4^th, 2000.

“Re-humanization of perpetrators of atrocities: Interviews with Eugene de Kock.” Paper presented at a conference in Bellagio, Italy, November 1997.

"The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Hearings in South Africa: Breaking the Silence." Paper presented at conference co-sponsored by the Harvard Law School Graduate Program, April 1997.

“The Human Face of Evil: Being in the Shoes of Apartheid's Hired Killer.” Lecture given at Ben Gurion University, Israel, March 1997.

"Reenactment of Old identities and Implications for Reconciliation." Presented at the Institute for Personnel Management conference at Sun City, October 21-23 1996.

"Private and Public Faces of Political Action: Reconstructing Memories of Violence." Presented at the Fourth International Symposium on the Contribution of Psychology to Societal Reconstruction & Peace, Cape Town, 26-30 June, 1995

"Comment on Dunbar Moodie's Ethnic Violence Thesis." Presented at the Conference on States of Violence, the Comparative Studies in Society and History Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, April 15-17 1994

"The Notion of the `Collective' in South African `Political' Murder Cases: The Deindividuation Argument Revisited." Presented at the Biennial Conference of the American Psychology and Law Society, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 11-13 March 1994

"Understanding the Readiness to Dehumanize and Brutalize Out-groups: How Can We Promote Peace Between Groups?" Paper opened discussion at symposium sponsored by Program for International Conflict Analysis and Resolution (PICAR), Harvard University, February 1994

"Culturally Motivated Murders in Rural South Africa: Examples from the Transkei Region." Anthropology Lecture Series, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 1989

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY WORK

Volunteer Co-worker, March-June 1994 "Wordsworks After School Care Program," sponsored by St Peter's Episcopal Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Assisted children with homework and counseled parents in an after-school program for children of minority and refugee families

Initiated and directed the first Children's Rights Group in the former Transkei. Organized campaigns for raising public awareness about the needs of the region's children, particularly those in informal settlement communities

National Coordinator, Situation Analysis of Children in South Africa, 1991-1992

Coordinated research sponsored by UNICEF to investigate and report on the state of children in South African rural and urban settings

Presented findings on the situation of children in South Africa at the United Nations Summit on South African children.

Chair, Unitra School of Diplomacy Project, 1990-1992 Chaired committee sponsored by University of Transkei (Unitra) vice chancellor. Coordinated plans to establish a School of Diplomacy. Responsibilities included consulting with then ANC Foreign Affairs chair, now current President Thabo Mbeki, fund-raising, and liaison with institutions to establish Southern African regional support for the proposed school. Worked with the chair of International Relations at USC on a fundraising drive, and coordinated visit to Unitra by the late Michael Kennedy of Citizens Energy who pledged financial support for the School of Diplomacy project. Established linkages with Californian universities for a faculty exchange program for the proposed school.

HONOURS AND GRANTS

• Awarded the Regents teaching fellowship for one month's teaching at UCLA, Spring 2001.

• Invited to give the Rama Mehta Lecture, an event sponsored by Radcliffe College, March 2000.

• Received Human Rights Award from Canadian organization, South African Women for Women, 1999.

• Harvard/South Africa Fellowship, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, 1993-1994

• Southern California/South Africa Faculty Fellowship, University of Southern California, 1989

MEMBERSHIP OF PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS/JOURNALS

Member of the Psychological Association of South Africa, and the American Psychological Association, the Division of Peace Psychology. Recently appointed to serve on the Editorial Board of the journal, Behavioral Sciences and the Law.

The Rama Mehta Lecture, March 2000; Private guest of Ted Kennedy and speaker at the White House, October 1999.

September 14, 1999: United States Institute for Peace, Washington DC, a conference on “Foreign Policy and Strategies for Peace.” On a panel with three women. My topic: “Interpersonal Forgiveness and Remorse: A Framework for Peace?”

September 21, 1999: Brandeis University, International Ethics, Justice and Peace Lecture Series. Public lecture, with Martha Minow. My topic: “Exploring Remorse in Apartheid Atrocities: The Healing of Victims and the Rehumanization of Perpetrators.”

September 30, 1999: Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge. Public Lecture: “Between Forgetting and Remembering, Truth and Memory.”

October 18, 1999: Kennedy School of Government. Public Event sponsored by the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy: “Differences between the Legal and the Psychological Injunction: The Case of Eugene de Kock.”

October 22, 1999: The White House, Washington DC. Appointed as part of a delegation to address a group of congresswomen, women policy makers, representatives to the UN, and women ambassadors on peace strategies and the role of women. Also private guest as part of delegation in conversation with Senator Ted Kennedy to enlist his support for the global movement, Women Waging Peace.

November 3, 1999: Kennedy School of Government. Lecture to an International Human Rights class. My topic: “The Nature of Evil? Eugene de Kock, South Africa's Most Condemned Perpetrator.”

November 11, 1999: Boston College. Public Lecture: “`History Despite its Wrenching Pain': Stories of Truth, and Reconciliation.”

November 13, 1999: Northeastern Region of Amnesty International, conference in Boston. On a panel with former member of the Chilean Commission. My topic: “Stories of Forgiveness: The Measure of the Success of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.”

November 16, 1999: Kennedy School of Government. Lecture to the Women and Public Policy Program class: “The Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Building an Ethic for Peace and the Role of Women.”

December 14, 1999: Conference launching the global initiative of Women Waging Peace. Lecture on “Trauma and Memory: A Selection of Images from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.”

February 3, 2000: Northern Ireland Network of Peace Organisations. Conference held in Belfast. Keynote Address: “Transcending the Past: Reaching Out, Taking Small Steps.”

February 10, 2000: Brandeis University. Public lecture: “Eugene de Kock and the Cry of Apartheid's Crusader.”

February 21, 2000: Mt St Mary's College, Emmetsburg, Maryland. Public Lecture: “Forgiveness on the Stage of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.”

February 22, 2000: Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Virginia. “Eugene de Kock and the Cry of Apartheid's Crusader.”

February 23, 2000: Wilson College, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Public Lecture: “Forgiveness on the Stage of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.”

March 9, 2000: Conference sponsored by The Boston Women and Health Project. Theme of conference, “Health Care Delivery in Pluralistic Society: Physical and Mental Health Care.” Lecture on “Mental Health Care in Traumatized Societies: The South African Experience.”

March 21, 2000: Radcliffe College. Delivered the prestigious annual Rama Mehta Lecture. Topic: “Political Memory and the Politics of Memory.”

March 29, 2000: Keene State College, New Hampshire. Public lecture: “The Role of Bystanders in Mass Atrocities.”

April 3, 2000: Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge. Seminar. “Feeling the Pain of the Other: Remorse and Forgiveness.”

April 10, 2000: Chapman University, Orange County, California. Public Lecture: “Memory and the Language of Trauma: Insights Drawn from Stories of Victims and Perpetrators.”

April 11, 2000: University of Southern California, USC. Lecture in an International Relations class. Topic: “Beyond our Wildest Dreams: The Precedence of Forgiveness and Extraordinary Moments of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.”

April 11, 2000: USC. Faculty Seminar: “Eugene de Kock: A Perpetrator's Struggle with Inner Truth.”

May 6, 2000: Northeastern region of the World History Center Key Note Address, with Martha Minow: “Coming Together After Collective Violence.”

May 10, 2000: Facing History and Ourselves Summer Institute Program. Public lecture: “The Mutable Roles of Victims, Perpetrators and Bystanders.”

May 13, 2000: Radcliffe College, Cambridge. Seminar at an international scholars event, the Radcliffe Professional Renewal Weekend for Radcliffe Alumni: “The Language of Memory: Remorse, Apology, and the Rehumanization of Perpetrators.”

May 19, 2000: Kennedy School Alumni Refresher Program, Cambridge. Series entitled, “Women in the Lead: Economy, Power and Advocacy.” On panel with two women. My topic: “Peace Advocacy: When the Wounded Become Healers.”

May 24, 2000: Women's Foreign Policy Group, Washington DC. Panel with four women.

August 6, 2000: American Psychological Association (APA), Invited Address: “Beyond Forgiveness: Post-TRC South Africa and the Problem of Sustainable Peace.”

Three-day lecture series co-sponsored by Peace Studies and Post-Holocaust Department at Chapman University, Spring 2001.

One-day workshop at the Facing History and Ourselves Summer Institute in Connecticut, Summer 2001.