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The Human and Social Dynamics Seminar Series

The Human and Social Dynamics Seminar Series
Invitation
Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Innovation (STEMI) for African Liberation, Development and Structural Transformation

Speakers:

Dr Diran Soumonni, Wits Business School and  SARChi Research Associate, TUT

Prof. John Trimble, Fulbright Professor working with SARChI on Innovation & Industrial Engineering, TUT

Prof. Mammo Muchie, SARChI on Innovation, TUT, Senior Research Associate, TMDC, Oxford University& ASTU, Ethiopia (http://www.tmd-oxford.org/content/mammo-muchie)

Venues in Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town (Videoconferencing facilities)

Date: 7 May 2014
Time: 12H15 for 12h30  – 13H30

This seminar may be attended via video conference in Pretoria, Cape Town and KwaZulu-Natal. Details are indicated below.

The problems of structural development in Africa remain still a big challenge. The traditional development approaches from neo-classical theory to other conventional development economics appears to lack both the ‘words and the grammar’ to address the African specific reality, context and process of social-economic change. Development theories that justify aid, loans and debt are imported and they lack ontological density and epistemological virtue. Existing development theories are contaminated with much ontological shallowness and epistemic vice.

The innovation system approach to development can bring in what Joseph Schumpeter calls creating industrial mutation that “incessantly revolutionises the economic structure from within, incessantly destroying the old one, incessantly creating a new one (Schumpeter, 1942:83)

Theories of development that can be applicable to promote African integration are much needed and ought to be selected in order to advance Africa's real structural transformation today rather than tomorrow.

There is a real need to examine critically the current dominant development paradigm by a sound and reflected application of both evolutionary economic theory and systems of innovation in order to address the variety of problems preventing Africa to undertake a sustainable structural transformation and integrated development. Innovation for African liberation requires  creative destruction to promote the relevant  and discard the irrelevant.

There is also a need to re-think innovation by questioning the dominance of economics in judging whether what is innovation is what fetches commercial benefit alone. There are reasons for broadening innovation to include the current global environmental challenges and the persistence of poverty, inequality and unemployment that require adding commercial and non-commercial validations of the innovation dynamics re-interpretation.

SArchI new website www.sarchi-steidi.org.za<http://www.sarchi-steidi.org.za>
Kindly RSVP by 2 May 2015
Cape Town : HSRC, 12th Floor, Plein Park Building (Opposite Revenue Office), Plein Street, Cape Town. Contact Jean Witten, Tel (021) 4668004, Fax (021) 461 0299, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.<mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Durban :  First floor HSRC board room, 750 Francois Road, Ntuthuko Junction, Pods 5 and 6, Cato Manor, Contact Ridhwaan Khan, Tel (031) 242 5400, cell: 083 788 2786 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.<mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Pretoria : HSRC Video Conference, 1st floor HSRC Library Human Sciences Research Council, 134 Pretorius Street, Pretoria. Arlene Grossberg, Tel: (012) 302 2811, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.<mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>

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