Launch of Dr Saghar Shahidi-Birjandian, PhD.
![[Left to right, at the back]: Lee Sungju, Asemahle Tshoni, Anastasia Solomons, Sesetu Holomisa, A/Professor Helen Scanlon, Mirjam Ellemers, Stephanie Wild. [Left to right sitting]: Dr Gertrude Fester, Dr Saghar Shahidi-Birjandian, Professor Phil Clark](https://atjc.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Launch-of-Dr-Saghar-Shahidi-Birjandian-PhD.-Shahidi-Birjandians-co-edited-volume-3.jpeg "[Left to right, at the back]: Lee Sungju, Asemahle Tshoni, Anastasia Solomons, Sesetu Holomisa, A/Professor Helen Scanlon, Mirjam Ellemers, Stephanie Wild. [Left to right sitting]: Dr Gertrude Fester, Dr Saghar Shahidi-Birjandian, Professor Phil Clark")
ATJRC’s Professor Helen Scanlon and the Department of Politics at the University of Cape Town hosted a seminar on 9 September 2026, marking the launch of Dr Saghar Shahidi-Birjandian, PhD. Shahidi-Birjandian’s co-edited volume, Intergenerational Survivors of Genocide and Mass Atrocities: Lived Experiences of Knowledge Providers.
Reflecting on the significance of memory and knowledge, Dr Shahidi-Birjandian noted: “Memory is resistance; knowledge is liberation.”
The seminar explored the importance of intergenerational survivor knowledge across the prevention continuum, the role of interpersonal healing, and how survivor experiences can inform transitional justice and mass atrocity prevention.
Professor Phil Clark reflected on the need to interrogate how trauma is transmitted across generations. The discussion highlighted the enduring importance of memory, healing and survivor-centred approaches in advancing justice and preventing future atrocities.
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On 3 September 2026, Professor Helen Scanlon and Yasmin Sooka participated in the inaugural Nokuthula Simelane Memorial Lecture, hosted by the Nokuthula Simelane Foundation, alongside Amahle-Imvelo Jaxa.
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ATJRC’s Professor Helen Scanlon and the Department of Politics at the University of Cape Town hosted a seminar on 9 September 2026, marking the launch of Dr Saghar Shahidi-Birjandian, PhD. Shahidi-Birjandian’s co-edited volume, Intergenerational Survivors of Genocide and Mass Atrocities: Lived Experiences of Knowledge Providers.
In May 2025, the South African Department of Sports, Arts and Culture released the Draft National Policy Framework for Heritage Memorialisation for public comment. The Draft Policy Framework presents heritage as a tool of fostering nation-building, social cohesion and national development. It presents National Legacy Projects as an instrument for transforming South Africa's heritage landscape.
Publications & Archive
Gender Apartheid and the Crimes against Humanity Convention Negotiations: Solidarity, History and the Politics of Naming
Negotiations toward a new Crimes Against Humanity Convention have renewed debate about how international law should address systemic gender-based oppression.
Managing Memory or Confronting the Past? A Response to South Africa’s Draft National Policy Framework for Heritage Memorialisation
The South African government has released a Draft National Policy Framework for Heritage Memorialisation intended to guide how heritage and memory practices are governed nationally.
