Dr Monica Fernandes
Lecturer in Modern African History

Research area(s)

• African history
• Gender and Race in South Africa
• Transnational history
• Women's activism

Research Interests

I’m interested in the mobility and organisation of the women’s movement in South Africa, and how this theme fits within other social frameworks such as race and class. My research interests also include how the South Africa’s women’s movement corresponds with the international women’s movement.

My PhD focused on two of South Africa’s biggest and most influential women’s organisations in the 1950s: the Federation of South African Women and the Black Sash. My research explored how South African women organised themselves as political actors in a time where apartheid dictated social and political movements, and the overall impact these organisations made. This study contributed to further understanding women’s roles in society during apartheid, contributing directly to both South African and transnational historiography.

Project details

Current projects:

Rise of a Teenage Leader: Sophia Williams and the Fight against Apartheid: This project explores the intersectionality between the youth movement and women’s movement in South Africa in the 1950s, through analysing the political trajectory and leadership of a young, coloured woman during apartheid, Sophia Williams. This research contributes to limited scholarship focused on the youth movement in the 1950s and challenges scholars to explore the role of mentors in guiding the newer generation of political leaders and the intrinsic network and connections between the youth and women’s movement.  

Women fighting apartheid: Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW) and the Black Sash, 1952- 1962: This project examines the emergence of two of the biggest South African women’s organisations in the 1950s, the Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW) and the Black Sash, and how they ensured women had a presence and voice in anti-apartheid activism, both within South Africa and internationally. This research makes a significant and original contribution to the body of knowledge in women’s studies, African studies and history, as it explores the under researched transnational impact of both organisations, forcing scholars to review and rethink women’s political contribution in South African politics and history.