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Dr Halima Namakula

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Name: Hilma Namakula
Post-Doctoral Research Fellows  Staff Members

Contact Details:
Tel: +27 (0)11 559 7277

Email: hnamakula@uj.ac.za

About Dr Halima Namakula

I am an education scholar with a PhD from the University of Witwatersrand. My research focuses on academic literacy, multilingual pedagogy, and student agency in higher education. My research is rooted in social realism, examining how institutional structures and cultures shape students’ learning experiences. I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Johannesburg and a part-time Academic Tutor at the Botswana Open University. Previously, I held roles at Wits School of Education, Rhodes University, and UNISA, where I taught, supervised research, and facilitated academic development programs.

My work explores themes such as educational equity, decolonization, and resilience during disruptions like COVID-19. I am particularly interested in how translanguaging pedagogies, multilingualism, writing center pedagogies, and care-based approaches can transform higher education. My publications and conference presentations reflect my commitment to bridging theory and practice with a focus on social justice. Through my research, I aim to contribute to more accessible and empowering academic spaces for students and educators.

ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9896-7639

Research Interests:

Key areas of expertise and inquiry

  • Academic literacy support
  • Translanguaging pedagogies
  • Artificial intelligence in Education
  • Early childhood development

Selected Publications: 

• Namakula, H., Wacango, K., and Kadenge, E. (2025). Disrupting Monolingual Norms: The Role of Multilingualism and an Art Process in Transforming Writing Centre Pedagogy. Critical studies in Teaching and Learning (CRiSTAL). Special issue

• Haipinge, R and Namakula, H. (2025). “I Believe it is Important and Best to Stay in School”: Resilience in Teenage Mothers Attending School in Omusati Region, Namibia. E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (EHASS) 6 (6), 818 – 830

• Nyoni, P., Chiramba, O and Namakula, H. (2025). Rating and Neoliberal Disruptions on the Quality of Academic Scholarship: South African Universities beyond the Covid-19 Crisis. In F. Maringe and O Chiramba Negotiating Quality Concerns in Higher Education amidst Disruptions, 162-189

Projects:

Doctoral Journeys of Black, First Nation, and Transcultural Women in South Africa, Kenya, and Australia