Cogut Institute for the Humanities

Maru Attwood ’24 is an undergraduate concentrating in history with an Engaged Scholarship Certificate in storytelling. Her thesis traces a history of Nsikazi, a region in rural Mpumalanga, South Africa, near where she grew up. This research is focused on the ways that land was physically divided during apartheid and colonialism and explores fences, kraals, and walls as points of interaction between people, the environment, and the state. The project includes three months of doing oral histories, working with her neighbors, nearby communities, and people who lived through forced removals. She will weave these together with material she finds in archives in South Africa. Her other academic interests include creative nonfiction writing and journalism, public history, political theory, and histories of social movements. On campus, she has organized for climate and housing justice with Sunrise and HOPE (Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere).