Patricia Henderson

Dr Patricia Henderson is a Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at Rhodes University, South Africa. She holds a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Cape Town and a Master’s degree from the University of the Witwatersrand. Her research spans ethnographic fieldwork in Botswana, Limpopo Province, Cape Town, and Okhahlamba (KwaZulu-Natal), focusing on children and youth’s roles in shaping social, economic, and political worlds.

• Education
  • B Soc Sc (MA) in Anthropology – University of the Witwatersrand
  • PhD in Anthropology – University of Cape Town

Her theoretical frameworks include phenomenology, embodiment, and the anthropology of the senses, with a commitment to innovative methods for documenting everyday lives. She has explored creativity and self-stylization in relation to South African artists like Gregory Maqoma, Zanele Muholi, and Nicholas Hlobo, linking their work to theories of hope, desire, and futurity.

Dr Henderson’s scientific recognition includes a post-doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. She has taught at the Universities of Cape Town, Johns Hopkins, and Stellenbosch, and her fieldwork includes documenting young people’s relationships with their environments during the AIDS crisis in Okhahlamba.