In honour of his scholarly productivity and contribution, Professor Paul Maylam was conferred with the title of Distinguished Professor at the 2012 Rhodes University humanities graduation ceremony held last week (13 April).
Dr Peter Clayton, Rhodes Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Development, said that the award was “an acknowledgment made sparingly to truly meritorious recipients, based upon the quality and influence of their scholarly achievements throughout their career”.
Prof Maylam, who has been the Head of the History Department since 1991, had a career of over three decades in academia. His most notable contribution to knowledge and scholarship is in the form of single authored scholarly books. He wrote five books and co-authored one.
Two of his books have been awarded the Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor’s Book Award. “Professor Maylam is the only double recipient of the Book Award, another standard that future scholars can aspire to,” Dr Clayton said.
He has received particular acclaim for his recent book, Enlightened Rule: Portraits of Six Exceptional Twentieth Century Leaders, which is seen as a critical intervention at this point in time.
The book quoted by the Rhodes Vice-Chancellor, Dr Saleem Badat, during his graduation address argues that luminous and respected leaders cherish ‘some key fundamental values’ such as ‘innate worth and dignity of all human beings.’
Maylam has produced 26 journal articles and presented papers at international conferences, in Canada, the UK, the USA, and Japan, as well as at South African conferences and seminars in his two and a half decades in scholarship. He supervised thirteen success Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) degrees.
Maylam’s work has also received international recognition. He has published over 25 articles and essays in academic journals. He has presented papers at international conferences in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
He also held a number of senior positions throughout his career. He was President of the South African Historical Society from 1993 to 1995; Vice-President from 1991 to 1993 and Treasurer from 1979 to 1981. He also served on the National Research Foundations ratings panel for History in 2002 and served on panels to assess applications for major grants from 2004 to 2006.
“Having an historian of this caliber, with a high national and international scholarly profile, is immensely valuable to Rhodes. His research works, as well as his strong commitment to teaching, mentoring and academic leadership have contributed to the intellectual richness and reputation of both Rhodes University and South Africa,” said Dr Clayton.
By Azwihangwisi Mufamadi