Ridwan Laher (5 June 1964 – 2 July 2014), also known as Ridwan Laher Nytagodien, was a South African

university professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a 'person who professes'. Professors ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

, an independent political consultant, and a research associate of the

McGregor Museum The McGregor Museum in Kimberley, South Africa, originally known as the Alexander McGregor Memorial Museum, is a multidisciplinary museum which serves Kimberley and the Northern Cape, established in 1907. Overview Housed at first in a purp ...

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia Queensland * Kimberley, Queensland, a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas South Australia * County of Kimberley, a cadastral unit in South Australia Ta ...

, South Africa.

Early life and education

Laher was born in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

McGregor Museum Report: Profile on Professor Ridwan Laher, Principal Historian. ''The history of the liberation struggle in the Northern Cape'', pp 94-102 and grew up in Kimberley, his parents having moved there from Johannesburg in the early 1970s. Under the influence of

Pan Africanist Congress The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, often shortened to the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), is a South African pan-Africanist national liberation movement that is now a political party. It was founded by an Africanist group, led by Robert So ...

(PAC) leader

Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Order for Meritorious Service, OMSG (5 December 1924 – 27 February 1978) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid revolutionary and founding member of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, ...

, a close family friend, Laher pursued a university education in social and

political science in the United States Political science has a long tradition within the United States, and has played a role that has been described as "hegemonic" within the discipline. Individuals from the country have made a disproportionate contribution upon current research. Acc ...

, graduating with an Associate of Arts at Catonsville Community College,

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, in 1984; a Bachelor of Science from

Towson State University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, ...

, Baltimore, in 1986; and a Master Science from

Indiana State University Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified ...

in 1990. In 1997 he was awarded a PhD in political science by

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

in Washington D.C. for his doctoral thesis "South Africa's role in Southern Africa: a post-apartheid foreign policy."

Career

Laher taught Black Studies, African Studies, and Political Science at universities in the United States (

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

), South Africa (

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), and India (

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU; ISO: Javāharalāla Neharū Viśvavidyālaya) is a public research university located in Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university ...

). He published papers in international peer-reviewed journals and made research presentations at conferences in Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, and Kenya. In 2006 he was appointed as the Nelson Mandela Chair and Professor for African Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in India. Laher returned to Kimberley in South Africa in 2010 to be with his mother after his father had died, there acting as an independent consultant and research associate of the McGregor Museum. He headed a team of museum historians producing new displays and publications on the history of the liberation struggle in the Northern Cape, 1850 to the present. He and Abraham Korir Sing'Oei edited a volume, ''Indigenous People in Africa: Contestations, Empowerment and Group Rights'', published in 2014 by the Africa Institute of South Africa, where Laher had been a chief research specialist. At the time of his death, he had been employed as an independent political consultant to the Premier's Office, reviewing twenty years of departmental performance in the

Northern Cape The Northern Cape ( ; ; ) is the largest and most sparsely populated Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley, South Africa, Kimberley. It includes ...

Blogging

Laher launched a blog, 'Fatima and Ahmed's son Ridwan Laher', during his time at Jawaharlal Nehru University, as a medium to communicate his opinions on politics, origins, identity and humanitarian issues.

Death

Laher died in Kimberley on 2 July 2014, at the age of 50.

External links

Fatima and Ahmed's son Ridwan Laher

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nytagodien, Ridwan Laher 1964 births 2014 deaths South African political scientists People from Kimberley, Northern Cape Alumni of Howard University