Mbongiseni Buthelezi

Mbongiseni Buthelezi holds a PhD in English and Comparative Literature
from Columbia University, New York, where he also obtained a Master of
Philosophy in English and Comparative Literature. A dedicated scholar,
he graduated cum laude from both the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the
University of Natal, earning a Master of Arts in English Studies and
Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in English and Drama, respectively. Working in
various academic and activist capacities, Mbongiseni has been interested
in how the state interfaces with citizens in areas that include land
restitution, the role of traditional leaders in governance, heritage and
public archives. With various collaborators he has researched and
written on the state’s constructions of the identities of citizens in
KwaZulu-Natal through heritage discourse and commemorative events. He
has also written on land and citizenship rights in rural areas and the
role of traditional leaders in the realisation of these rights, as well
as the dire state of public archives and its implications for
accountable government.