Rehana Thembeka Odendaal — Activism Beyond the Classroom

Rehana was born and bred in Cape Town, South Africa and joined UPenn as a Ph.D. student in Education, Culture, and Society in Fall 2019. She has always seen History as a lens through which we make sense of the present and has a passionate belief in the potential of young people to re-make the world into a more just and equitable place. Her past academic work focused on history, identity, and memory in memorial spaces. Rehana is currently fascinated with the idea of public space (how it is constructed, who uses it, what for...) as well as how society measures learning, education and political action.

If the Ph.D. doesn't work out, Plan B is to start a plant nursery & consultation business.

Writings

Featured

Opinion

Can we connect the local to the global? Do we need to?

Opinion

A personal reflection of my first “on the ground” protest action in the United States. More questions than answers.

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Opinion

Uncomfortable, but Necessary: Fact-based sex ed as a tool to combat gender based violence

Opinion

This article was written in response to a series of social media posted protesting the content of South Africa’s Comprehensive Sex Education curricular in 2019. CSE has been part of South Africa’s Life Orientation subjects since 2008. It aims to contextualize the role of public education in combatting the scourge of gender-based violence in South Africa.