David Dickinson

I am a Professor of Sociology at Wits University, Johannesburg where I have been based, in different departments, since coming to South Africa from the UK in 1994. Before commencing university studies, I worked as a welder and machine operator.

My PhD examined industrial relations in post-apartheid South African workplaces. Between 2000 and 2012 I focused on social and cultural aspect of HIV/AIDS epidemic, the subject of two books: Changing the Course of AIDS and A Different Kind of AIDS: Folk and Lay Theories in South African Townships. My current research has returned to the issue of workplace relations, particularly the organisation casual workers.

I’m a regular visitor and part-time resident in South African townships. I’m particularly concerned with the challenges faced by the country’s poor majority and their responses to uncertainty, adversity and inequality.