Research

Professor Vincent's Research Programme is in Biopower, Biopolitics and Governmentality. Prospective MA and PhD students wishing to pursue theses in this field should contact her directly or view the critical sexuality studies webpage.

In the old metaphor of the 'body politic', the state or society was imagined as a human body. In my research I am interested in ways in which the body is itself a politically inscribed entity. Politics, conceived of as relations of power, are written on the body in practices including circumcision, rape, foot-binding, piercing, scarification, virginity testing ,body building, corseting, compulsory heterosexuality, forced sterilization and countless others. In the analysis of these micropractices larger relations of power become visible. 

Students

Louise teaches :

• Introduction to Political Philosophy to first years. Her book 'Puzzles in Contemporary Political Philosophy. An Introduction for South African students' (Van Schaik, 2012) was written to support this course.

• Qualitative Research Methodology to Honours/Master's students.

• Biopolitics and Governmentality to Honours/Master's students.

 
Each of these courses has an online repository to which enrolled students have access.

Publications

Books:
 
Vincent, L. with L. Hamilton and J. Steyn-Kotze. Puzzles in Contemporary Political Philosophy. An Introduction. Van Schaik publishers.
 
Chapters in Books:
 
Vincent, L. 2012. ‘From Suffrage to Silence. The Politics of the Afrikaner Nationalist Women’s Parties’ in Kathleen Blee and Sandra McGee Deutsch (eds.). Women of the Right. Comparisons and Exchanges Across National Borders. Penn State University Press. In press.
 
Vincent, L. 2012. ‘Traditional Male Initiation, Culture and the Constitution’. New South African Review. Roger Southall and John Daniel (eds.).
 
Vincent, L. 2011. ‘Capacity and State Legitimacy in Fragile Environments’ in African Capacity Indicators – A Flagship publication of the African Capacity Building Foundation. Harare: ACBF.
 
Vincent, L. 2006. ‘Non-State Actors in International Relations’ in Power, Wealth and Global Order. An International Relations Textbook for Africa. Philip Nel and Patrick McGowan (eds.). Third Edition. Cape Town: UCT Press.
 
Vincent, L. 2001. ‘Non-State Actors in International Relations’ in Power, Wealth and Global Order. An International Relations Textbook for Africa. Second Edition. Philip Nel and Patrick McGowan (eds.). Second edition. Cape Town: UCT Press.
 
Vincent, L. 2001. ‘Women and Opposition in South Africa’s Democratic Parliament’ in Roger Southall (ed.). Opposition and Democracy in South Africa. London: Frank Cass.
 
Vincent, L. 1999. “Non-State Actors in International Relations” in Power, Wealth and Global Order. An International Relations Textbook for Africa, Philip Nel and Patrick McGowan (eds.). Cape Town: UCT Press.

Articles:
 
Vincent, L. 2012. ‘Shaking a Hornets’ Nest: Pitfalls of Abortion Counselling in a Secular Constitutional Order – a View from South Africa’. Culture, Health and Sexuality 14 (2): 125-38.
 
Vincent, L and T. Lamb. 2011. ‘When Breast is Not Best. Young Women and Breast Reduction Surgery in South Africa’. Agenda. 25 (3): 9-17.
 
Vincent, L. 2011. ‘Seducing the People. Populism and the Challenge to Democracy in South Africa’. Journal of Contemporary African Studies 29 (1): 1-14.
 
Vincent, L. 2011. ‘South Africa’s Abortion Values Clarification Workshops. An Opportunity to Deepen Democratic Communication Missed’. Journal of Asian and African Studies 46 (3): 264-277.
 
Vincent, L. 2010. ‘Re-thinking Rugby and the Rainbow Nation’. Journal of African Media Studies 2.3.
 
Vincent, L. 2009. ‘Polygamy in the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act’. Agenda Special Edition: Gender and the Legal System, vol. 82: pp58-65.
 
Vincent, L. and B. Camminga. 2009. ‘Putting the “T” into South African Human Rights. Transsexuality and the Post Apartheid Order’. Sexualities. Vol. 12, no.6, pp.678-700.
 
Vincent, L. 2009. ‘Moral Panic and the Politics of Populism’. Representations  45(2): 213-221, July.
 
Vincent, L. 2008. ‘Women’s Rights Get a Dressing Down. The Politics of Mini Skirt Attacks in South Africa’. The International Journal of the Humanities 6 (6): 11-18.
 
Vincent, L. 2008. ‘Cutting Tradition – the Political Regulation of Circumcision Rites in South Africa’s New Democratic Order’. Journal of Southern African Studies 34 (1): 77-91.
 
Vincent, L. 2008. ‘Boys will be Boys’. Traditional Xhosa Male Circumcision, HIV and Sexual Socialisation in Contemporary South Africa’. Culture, Health and Sexuality 10 (5): 431-446.
 
Vincent, L. 2008. ‘The Limitations of Inter-Racial Contact – Stories from Young South Africa’. Ethnic and Racial Studies 31 (8): 1426-1451.
 
Vincent, L. 2008. ‘New Magic for New Times: Muti Murder in Postcolonial South Africa’ in Health and Nutritional Problems of Indigenous Populations, Kaushik Boses (ed.). Studies of Tribes and Tribals, Special Issue, vol. 2: 43-53.
 
Vincent, L. 2007. ‘Stoned Cherrie and Steve Biko: Reading the Label’. African Sociological Review:  11 (2): 80-91.
 
Vincent, L; D. 2007. Edwards and C. Brereton. ‘Changing to Stay the Same. The Re-invention of Virginity Testing’. Jenda. A Journal of Cultural and Women’s Studies Issue 11.
 
Vincent, L. 2006. ‘Virginity Testing in South Africa: Re-Traditioning the Postcolony’. Culture, Health and Sexuality. January-February 8 (1): 17-30.
 
Vincent, L. 2006. ‘Destined to Come to Blows? Race and Masculinites in Post-Apartheid South Africa. Men and Masculinities 8 (3): 350-366.
 
Vincent, L. 2006. ‘Of No Account? South Africa’s Electoral System (Non) Debate’. Journal of Contemporary African Studies 24 (1): 81-100.
 
Vincent, L and C. McEwen. 2006. ‘Labouring to Love: Romantic Love and Power in the Construction of Middle Class Femininity’. Indian Journal of Gender Studies 13 (1): 37-59.
 
Vincent, L and C. Mcewen. 2005. ‘Romantic Love and Constructions of Femininity in Young Heterosexual Relationships’. Asian Women vol. 20: 1-26.
 
Vincent, L. 2005. ‘Facing Race at Rhodes Ten Years After’. African Sociological Review Vol. 9 (1): 105-131.
 
Vincent, L. 2004. ‘Quotas for Women: Do the Numbers Count?’ Journal of Legislative Studies. 10 (1): 71-96.
 
Vincent, L. 2004. ‘What’s Love Got to do with It? The Effect of Affect in The Academy’. Politikon. May, 31 (1): 105-115.
 
24.  Vincent, L. 2003. ‘Current Discourse on the Role of Women in Conflict Prevention and Conflict Transformation: a Critique’. Conflict Trends Issue No 3, August.
 
Vincent, L. 2001. ‘Engendering Peace in Africa: A Critical Inquiry Into Some Current Thinking on the Role of African Women in Peace-building’. African Journal of Conflict Resolution 2 (1).
 
Vincent, L. 2001. ‘A Question of Interest. Women as Opposition’. Democratisation. 8 (1).
 
Vincent, L. 2000. ‘White Working Class Women and Afrikaner Nationalism in the 1930s’. Journal of Southern African Studies, 26 (1): 61-78.
 
Vincent, L. 2000. ‘Termination of Pregnancy Counselling in the Eastern Cape’. Women’s Health News and Views No.35 (August).
 
Vincent, L. 1999. ‘The Power Behind the Scenes: the Afrikaner Nationalist Women’s Parties, 1915 to 1931’. South African Historical Journal 40: 51-73.  
 
Vincent, L. 1999. ‘A Cake of Soap: The Volksmoeder Ideology and Afrikaner Women’s Campaign for the Vote’. International Journal of African Historical Studies, 32 (1).
 
Vincent, L. 1999. ‘Polls Apart. South African Women and the 1999 General Election’. Issue. A Journal of Opinion, XXVII/2.
 
Vincent, L. 1999. ‘Women and Human Rights in Southern Africa’ in Conflict Trends, Number 5.
 
Vincent, L. 1999. ‘Crime and the 1999 South African Election’. Africa World Review, July/August 1999.
 
Vincent, L. and C. Higgs. 1997. ‘Separating Drafting from Evaluation: Guided Peer Feedback in First-Year Tutorials’. Discourses 7 (2).