Thembela Kepe

Thembela is a Professor in the Department of Human Geography, and is cross-appointed to the Department of Global Development Studies, University of Toronto, Canada. He has interdisciplinary training, including an undergraduate training in agriculture and land use planning. Over the last few years his research interests have been in the areas of land rights, rural resistance politics, politics of development and political ecology. His field research has mostly been in southern Africa, particularly his home country, South Africa, but has also carried out research in Liberia, Somalia and in Canada. In addition to publishing about 60 peer-reviewed journal articles, he has co-edited four books, on topics that include land claims; rural revolts; freedom and politics of conservation.

In 2020 Kepe was awarded the Fellowship of the Society of South Africa Geographers (FSSAG), which recognizes outstanding contribution to the field of geography. At the University of Toronto he teaches courses on political ecology, conservation, land rights and research design in development fieldwork. Thembela is also the chair of the Department of Human Geography at the University of Toronto Scarborough.