About the Centre for Studies in Complexity
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It’s simple, really – life is complex
Complexity theory is a relatively new, yet important academic discipline that engages in ground-breaking ways with major problems in the human and natural sciences.
Stellenbosch University's (SU) Centre for Studies in Complexity (CSC) aims to harness the insights of complexity theory in the search for comprehensive solutions to the challenges of human development in South Africa and the rest of the continent.
Prof Jannie Hofmeyr, a biochemist, and the late Prof Paul Cilliers, a philosopher, established the Centre in 2009. When Cilliers passed away on 31 July 2011, Hofmeyr continued with the CSC's activities. He is assisted by Ms Rika Preiser, a doctoral candidate in philosophy.
The Centre – the only one of its kind in Africa – brings together researchers from different fields in the common quest for relevant answers.
Abstract and theoretical their investigations may be, but the problems they focus on are very real. These include:
- The behaviour of ecosystems, social and economic systems
- The cellular organisation that constitutes a living organism
- The way in which neurons interact in the brain
- How meaning arise in language
- The causes of political intolerance
- The functioning of health systems
Hofmeyr explains: “If you approach something like poverty simplistically, you might miss the point. It is more useful to think of it as a complex problem with many and varied causes and solutions.
In this way, the intricate network of connections within and around a seemingly simple issue is laid bare, which leads to new perspectives and more effective remedies.”
The Centre generates and disseminates knowledge through collaborative research involving academics from around the world, and through teaching and supervising postgraduate students from various disciplines.
The Centre presents a module in complexity theory as part of a doctoral programme hosted by SU's TsamaHub (the Centre for Transdisciplinarity, Sustainability, Assessment, Modelling and Analysis).
Through its research outputs, conferences and publications, the Centre aims to unify seemingly divergent fields of study on a theoretical level.
SU provides the ideal environment for the CSC. The university already hosts three Centres of Excellence (Invasion Biology, Epidemiological Modelling & Analysis, and Tuberculosis), 14 research chairs and the highly rated Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (Stias).
“All of the University’s strategic development goals can benefit from the perspectives that complexity studies provide. The approaches that we follow can be used to address many of society’s most pressing problems,” says Hofmeyr.