Dr Gregory Houston

TELEPHONE: 031 242 5520
EMAIL: ghouston@hsrc.ac.za

Dr Gregory Houston is a chief research specialist at the HSRC and holds an MA in political studies from the University of the Witwatersrand and a PhD in political science from the University of Natal. He specialises in political history, democratisation, social cohesion, nation-building, identity politics and the history of the South African liberation struggle. .

Experience and special projects: He was formerly a research specialist in the DGSD research programme, a position which he held from April 1998 to December 2000. He has managed several projects recently, including the Ballot Paper Design project commissioned by the Independent Electoral Commission prior to the 2019 elections. He has also managed an African Peer Review Mechanism Pre-Mission project in Kenya, which explored the state of political, economic and social governance in the country. Currently he manages a project on the development of a scholarly book on the history of the HSRC. .

Prior to joining the HSRC, he lectured for twelve years in the Department of Political Studies at the then University of Transkei (now Walter Sisulu University). While in the employ of the HSRC, he was seconded between September 2000 and December 2009 to the South African Democracy Education Trust (SADET), serving first as Project Coordinator and then as Executive Director.

During the past decade he has mostly conducted his research in the area of the history of the South African liberation struggle. In particular, his research has focused on the development of an Armed Living Struggle Museum in the Buffalo River area, the national liberation heritage route, and on life stories and autobiographies of veterans of the struggle. .

Publications: Dr Houston has published 10 scientific articles in both local and international peer-reviewed academic journals, 14 research reports, and 24 book chapters. He authored the book entitled The National Liberation Struggle: A case study of the United Democratic Front (UDF), 1983-87 (Ashgate Publishers, Aldershot, 1999), co-edited a book entitled Public Participation in Democratic Governance in South Africa (Human Sciences Research Council, Pretoria, 2001), co-edited four books as part of the editorial collective of the South African Democracy Education Trust (eds) entitled The Road to Democracy in South Africa, Volume 1, 1960-1970 (Zebra Press, Cape Town, 2004), The Road to Democracy in South Africa, Volume 2, 1970-1980 (UNISA Press, Pretoria, 2006), The Road to Democracy in South Africa, Volume 3, International Solidarity (UNISA Press, Pretoria, 2008), The Road to Democracy in South Africa, Volume 4, 1980-1990 (UNISA Press, Pretoria, 2010) and co-authored two books entitled Voices of Liberation: Chris Hani (HSRC Press, Cape Town, 2014) and The other side of freedom: Stories of hope and loss in the South African liberation struggle 1950-1994 (HSRC Press, Cape Town, 2017). He has also presented more than 19 papers at both local and international conferences. .

Recent

Enhancement, Editing and Publishing of Military Veterans Manuscripts Project

The project entails the enhancement, editing and publishing of draft manuscripts developed by seven military veterans. These are draft memoirs and/or ....

An Impact Assessment of the Work of the Public Service Commission (PSC)

To assess how the work of the PSC is impacting on public administration in line with the mandate defined in Chapter 10 of the Constitution....

Dialogue on Race and Racism based on the Book - Paradise Lost: Race and Racism in Post apartheid South Africa

The issue of race, and the racism is a contentious one, and is an unresolved issue in South Africa. The publication of the book provides an opportunit....

Wentworth Social History Project

This study aims to examine transformations in social, economic and political circumstances and the impact of these changes on one urban community - th....

State Capacity Phase II - GIZ

To extend the scope of the synthesis evaluation on State Capacity with a Special Focus on Directors-General and Heads of Departments by interviewing M....

Langa Turning 100: Looking back and Forward through the lens of Social, Economic and Political History

This study aims to examine transformations in social, economic and political circumstances and the impact of these changes in Langa over the last 100 ....

The Impact of and Amendments to the Political Party Funding Act 6 of 2018 (PPFA)

To access the Implications of the Operationalisation of the Political Party Funding Act, 2018 (PPFA) drafted by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA, M....

Wentworth: A Social Economic and Political History

This study aims to examine transformations in social, economic and political circumstances and the impact of these changes on one urban community ??? ....

Synthesis evaluation of State Capacity - Focus on DGs & HoDs

The system under which DG's and HoD's operate including but not limited to leadership, skills, configuration, processes and functioning, employment co....

DMV: Needs Assessment amongst Military Veterans of the RSA, and their Dependent's

PHASE 1 1. Survey of relevant reports, legislation, and literature on MVs. 2. In-depth interviews (5 to 10) with key members of DMV and MV association....

Transforming the Civil Society Sector

To conduct a study on identifying and understanding the transformative requirements for civil society to facilitate the achievement of the full consti....

Public Officials Skills and Capacity Audit

The purpose of the project is to conduct a skills and capacity audit to understand the capacity realities and support requirements of entry, mid and s....

Public Intellectuals in South Africa Manuscript

Develop a manuscript for a coffee table book profiling figures who emblematize intellectual contributions and the idea of the intellectual through the....

Capacity Building of the Military Veterans for the Production of their Autobigraphies

The purpose of the project is to embark on the capacity building of the military veterans in Mpumalanga, North West, Limpopo, Free State and Northern ....

Life Histories, Auto Biographies and Biographies of Military Veterans project

The purpose of the project is to: i) develop a series of life history manuscripts, ii) provide training and support to military veterans interested in....

Umkhonto we Sizwe Commemoration Coffee Table Book Publication

The purpose of this assignment is to provide the written content, including text and articles and to edit the Coffee table book publicaion....

Provision of Stakeholder Satisfaction Surveys for Parliament of RSA

Our understanding of Parliament???s requirements is that a survey of stakeholders of Parliament should be conducted with a view to determining their o....

Review of the Mid-term Treport

Review and edit of report....

State of Social Cohesion and Nation-building in South Africa

The primary objective of this project is to prepare the draft and final reports for the Working Group on social cohesion and nation-building. A draft ....

Research for the Gauteng Transformation Policy on Vulnerable and Designated Groups

The policy on mainstreaming of designated/vulnerable groups is aimed at creating an enabling environment to facilitate the full development of targete....

African Peer Preview Mechanism - APRM

To develop a methodology for conducting a Preliminary Review mission in Kenya; To help pilot the methodology in the Preliminary Mission; To conduct t....

Final Evaluation Access to Justice and Promotion of Constitutional Rights

The Access to Justice and the Promotion of Constitutional Rights (AJ&PCR;) Programme with the Department of Justice & Constitutional Development (DoJ&....

Governance Index Implementation Plan

The HSRC seeks to develop a Good Governance Index for South Africa that would operate as a policy monitoring instrument and a tool for generating evid....

The Liberation Studies Institute (LSI)

The Liberation Studies Institute will: conduct research on the liberation struggle archives to enhance public access to material pertaining to the st....

Millennium Development Goals 2,6,7

Statistics South Africa is leading the writing of a comprehensive progress report to measure the country's progress towards achieving the targets set ....

Cities Support Programme

Background: The CSP is an initiative of National Treasury in collaboration with key government departments to address spatial inequalities and dev....

Unsung Heroes & Heroines of the Liberation Struggle

The areas of research focus are: The identification and development of narratives around liberation heritage sites and the identification and recordin....

State of the Nation

Between 2003 and 2008 the HSRC published its annual flagship publication State of the Nation. Taking the South African national agenda as its organisi....

HSRC CASS Project: Chinese Presence in South Africa & South African Presence in China: Phase II

In 2011 an HSRC research team collaborated with a CASS research team on the first phase of a project on Chinese in South Africa/South Africans in Chin....