Julius Nyerere School of Social Sciences

Welcome to the Nehanda Centre for Gender and Cultural Studies at Great Zimbabwe University. The Centre was established in January 2015 under the Julius Nyerere School of Social Sciences.  As a proponent for gender justice, the Centre strives to be a global centre of excellence in Gender and Cultural Studies. The Centre is anchored on the core values of Ubuntu/Hunhu (which means upholding human dignity), inclusiveness, innovation and creativity. This is in line with the University niche of restoration and preservation of culture. The Centre endeavours to transform unequal gender relations that are prevalent in society today. Both males and females are empowered with knowledge and skills they utilize in social transformation. The Nehanda Centre puts emphasis on five key pillars which are; Undergraduate and Postgraduate Studies; Research and Policy Advocacy; Training and Community Engagement; Knowledge Management; and Business Development.

Currently, the Centre offers BSc Honours degree in Gender and Social Anthropology; MSc degree in Gender and Policy Studies; PhD in Gender and Policy Studies. The Centre also offers short courses in Project Planning and Management; Monitoring and Evaluation. The Centre boasts of collaborative partnerships with other institutions concerned with fighting gender inequalities which include: Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development; Primson Management Services which specialises in gender programming; UN Women, UNDP, Musasa Project, Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association and like- minded Universities locally and internationally. On the International arena the Centre works collaboratively with the African Gender Institute, University of Cape Town, South Africa; The School for Women and Gender Studies- Makerere University, Uganda and Centre for Gender Studies- Jawaharlal Nehru University , India. The Centre is also a proud member of Gender Network for Universities in Africa (GENUA) which is a platform for interrogating gender issues in the African Context.

The Centre also boasts of organising successful Public Lectures by prominent scholars to raise awareness on gender and culture issues in Africa and the world over. The Centre also holds International conferences so as to contribute to the existing body of knowledge on Gender and cultural studies. I welcome you to this global Centre of Excellence.