Beyond borders: how a small Rhodes University research unit is shaping global conversations on sexualities, reproduction and health

Date Released: Thu, 6 November 2025 11:23 +0200

By Siqhamo Jama

 

When people think of groundbreaking global research, they often imagine vast laboratories and large-scale institutes. Yet, tucked away in the small town of Makhanda, a small team at Rhodes University is quietly reshaping global conversations about sexuality, health, and reproductive justice.

Earlier this year, the Critical Studies in Sexualities and Reproduction Research (CSSR) Unit made an impressive showing at the International Society for Critical Health Psychology (ISCHP) Conference in Galway, Ireland – a major international gathering that draws leading scholars in health psychology from across the world.

Three of the Unit’s emerging researchers – Dr Megan Reuvers, Yamini Kalyanaraman, and Cassandra Robertson-Ormston – received competitive bursaries to attend and present their work. Other staff members and research associates who presented papers included Dr Nicola Jearey-Graham, Dr Yanela Ndabula and Prof Tracy Morison. Leading the Rhodes University presence was Catriona Macleod, Distinguished Professor of Psychology and SARChI Chair in Critical Studies of Sexualities and Reproduction, who delivered one of the conference’s keynote addresses.

For a small unit operating from a modest cluster of offices on Rhodes University’s upper campus, the achievement was extraordinary. “It was wonderful to see our work recognised in that space,” said Prof Macleod. “What made it even more meaningful was hearing from colleagues who said they could see the quality and integrity of the research coming out of this small corner of South Africa.”

One delegate described the CSSR Unit as a ‘centre of excellence’ – praise that, while unsolicited, felt earned. Prof Macleod smiles at the memory. “We’re small,” she said, “but we punch well above our weight.”

A hub for critical, compassionate inquiry

The CSSR Unit’s strength lies in how it approaches its work. Rather than viewing sexuality and reproduction as purely clinical or biological concerns, the Unit explores them as lived experiences – deeply shaped by history, culture, power, and inequality.

“We bring a critical, feminist, and decolonial lens to our research,” explained Dr Reuvers. “That means looking at how issues like race, gender, disability, and class shape people’s access to healthcare and their right to make choices about their own bodies.”

Traditional health research often measures success through numbers, services delivered, patients reached, and targets met. The CSSR Unit goes further, asking harder, more human questions: What happens inside those clinics? Are people treated with dignity? Whose voices are being left out?

This approach has attracted attention well beyond South Africa. The CSSR Unit now works with the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Population Fund, and various national departments in Southern Africa – not just producing research but helping shape the language of policy itself.

Research that listens

One of the Unit’s most notable projects investigates abortion counselling in South Africa. Despite the country’s progressive laws, the CSSR found that many counselling sessions were still directive or moralising, sometimes pressuring women to change their decisions.

“Many nurses felt it was their duty to correct a mistake,” said Prof Macleod. “That’s not what reproductive justice looks like.”

In response, Yamini Kalyanaraman from the CSSR designed and ran short courses with nurses and healthcare workers to reframe abortion counselling through empathy and respect. Follow-up studies, led by Dr Timalizge Zgambo, showed that many participants began shifting toward non-judgmental, patient-centred care.

Another of the Unit’s focus areas is the pregnancy supportability project, headed by Dr Reuvers. Her PhD thesis, entitled ‘Is This Pregnancy Legitimate Because It Is (Un)Intended and (Un)Affordable? An Intersectional Analysis of Pregnancy ‘Supportability’, provides an in-depth qualitative view of pregnancy support/supportability which complements the quantitative data generated from the Pregnancy Supportability Research Kit designed by CSSR Unit researchers.

A project focusing on Life Orientation (LO) teachers in three South African provinces, led by Dr Ulandi du Plessis, revealed a number of struggles – teachers expected to lead lessons on sexualities, reproduction and relationships while navigating their own trauma and that of their students.

“When we spoke to them, we realised LO teachers are effectively frontline mental health workers,” said Prof Macleod. “They carry enormous emotional responsibility, often without support or training.”

To meet that need, the CSSR Unit launched a participatory action research project with LO teachers in Makhanda, led by Dr Nicola Jearey-Graham. So far, a basic counselling skills course for teachers has been run. The demand was immediate, and applications far exceeded available places. “That response alone showed how essential this kind of research-led intervention really is,” said Prof Macleod.

Reproductive justice as a guiding principle

For the CSSR Unit, reproductive justice is more than an academic concept – it is the moral thread that ties its work together.

“It’s not just about access. It’s about autonomy, dignity, and recognising that health decisions exist within systems of power. True justice means understanding those systems and transforming them,” explained Prof Macleod, a point she made clear in her keynote at ISCHP.

That philosophy now guides many of the CSSR Unit’s collaborations with government departments and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), helping develop policies that move beyond compliance to compassion. The team’s policy briefs and strategic papers have informed discussions across southern Africa on topics such as unsafe abortion, contraception access, and gender equity.

For a unit that began with just a handful of scholars, the CSSR team’s reach today is remarkable. But Prof Macleod insists that its real achievement lies not in accolades, but in approach.

“We are a learning community,” she said. “We listen before we lead. We challenge each other. The goal is not to speak for others, but to help create the spaces where those voices can be heard.”

And it’s this ethos of empathy, collaboration, and critical thought has placed the CSSR Unit on the global map, not for its size, but for its integrity.

Source:Communications