Ulandi du Plessis
Ulandi du Plessis (PhD, Rhodes) is Senior Researcher and Programme Manager at the CSSR. She started at Rhodes University in 2007 studying towards a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Political and International Studies. For her postgraduate studies she was registered at the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER). Her PhD thesis, entitled Governing pregnancy in South Africa: Political and health debate, policy and procedures was supervised by Catriona Macleod. The thesis entails a Foucauldian Discourse Analysis of South African health policy with a specific focus on maternal health policy 1994-present. Using the framework of governmentality, it investigates the knowledge/power relationships that belie the current rationality of governing pregnancy shaping maternal health policy and practices in South Africa. She received the British Psychological Society’s Psychology of Women and Equalities Section (POWES) and Feminism and Psychology Postgraduate Award for a paper submitted based on her doctoral thesis.
Her interests include governmentality studies, postcolonialism, health and illness, health policy, and sexual and reproductive health and justice.
Ulandi supervises students at the CSSR and has been researcher, lead, and/or project coordinator on a variety of local and international quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods projects in social policy, education, and health.
Publications:
Du Plessis, U & Macleod, CI (2024). Abortion Services and Reproductive Justice in Rural South Africa. Wits University Press.
Macleod, CI & Du Plessis, U (2024). Teaching comprehensive sexuality education in a traumatized society: recognizing teachers as sexual, reproductive, and mental health frontline workers. Front. Educ. 9:1276299. DOI: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1276299
Du Plessis, U, & Macleod, CI (2023). Governing pregnancy in the Global South: the case of post-apartheid South Africa, Health, Risk & Society, DOI: 10.1080/13698575.2023.2249943
Reports:
Du Plessis, U, Macleod, C, Mavuso, J, Grapsa, E, Sanyangore, A. (2020) An assessment of abortion seeking behaviours and preferences in rural communities of the Eastern Cape, South Africa: Short report. Critical Studies in Sexualities and Reproduction, Rhodes University.
Du Plessis, U, Macleod, C, Mavuso, J, Grapsa, E, Sanyangore, A. (2020) An assessment of abortion seeking behaviours and preferences in rural communities of the Eastern Cape, South Africa: Research Report. Critical Studies in Sexualities and Reproduction, Rhodes University.
Du Plessis, U and Macleod, C. (2020) The CSSR/MSSA mixed methods research toolkit: Abortion-seeking behaviours and preferences. Critical Studies in Sexualities and Reproduction, Rhodes University.
Du Plessis, U, Sofika, D, Macleod, CI, Mthethwa, T (2018) Assessing the impact of the Expanded Global Gag Rule in South Africa: Report. Grahamstown, South Africa: Critical Studies in Sexuality and Reproduction, International Women’s Health Coalition. Report.
Du Plessis, U, Young, C, & Macleod, CI (2017) Harm Reduction Strategies in Alcohol Use and Abuse: A Critical Review of Interventions. Grahamstown, South Africa: Critical Studies in Sexuality and Reproduction, Rhodes University, Report.
Rogan, M, Reynolds, J, Du Plessis, U, Bally, R and Whitfield, K (2015) Pathways through University and into the Labour Market: Report on a graduate tracer study from the Eastern Cape, LMIP Report 18. HSRC, Department of Higher Education, South Africa.
Presentations:
Du Plessis, U. Actioning the supportability framework: the Pregnancy Supportability Research Kit. Paper presented at British Psychological Society (BPS) Psychology of Women and Equalities Section (POWES) conference, Windsor, UK, 5-7 July 2023.
Du Plessis, U, Macleod, C. Abortion in rural areas. Paper presented at Sexual and Reproductive Justice Seminar Series, Department of Social Development, Port Elizabeth, 17-18 October 2022.
Du Plessis, U, Macleod, C, Nicholson, M., Grapsa, E., Quaife, M. Abortion service preferences in rural areas of South Africa: A Discrete Choice Experiment. Paper presented at International Union for the Scientific Study of Population’s (IUSSP) Three-Panel Meeting on Unintended pregnancy and key outcomes – abortion and unplanned births, Funchal, Madeira, 12 – 15 July 2022.
Du Plessis, U. Rethinking stigma as a technique of power: Lessons from critical research on abortion. Paper presented at the International Society of Critical Health Psychology (ISCHP) Conference, online, 22-25 August 2021.
Du Plessis, U, Macleod, C, Nicholson, M, Mhlongo, S. (2020) Abortion services in rural areas: implications of current research. Paper presented at Centre for Human Rights Colloquium, Overcoming Barriers to Safe Abortion in the African Region. University of Pretoria, Tswane, South Africa, 23-24 January 2020.
Du Plessis, U (2019) Governing pregnancy in the Global South: An analysis of techniques to reduce maternal mortality in the South African public health system. Paper presented at British Psychological Society (BPS) Psychology of Women and Equalities Section (POWES) conference, Windsor, UK, 10-12 July 2019.
Du Plessis, U (2017) Governing pregnant women: The case of alcohol consumption, Paper presented at the first Pan-African Psychology Congress, Durban, South Africa, 18-21 September 2017.
Du Plessis, U (2017) Harm Reduction Strategies in Alcohol Use and Abuse: A Critical Review of Interventions, Paper presented at the Eastern Cape Liquor Board, Provincial Liquor Industry Summit, East London, South Africa, 5-7 March 2017.
Projects:
2022 - Project manager and senior researcher: Creating well-trained and supported Life Orientation teachers in teaching comprehensive sexuality education: A research study, funded by UNESCO and the South African Department of Basic Education
2021 - Project manager and senior researcher: Pregnancy supportability: enabling a holistic health systems response during/following COVID-19, CSSR-based study.
2018 – 2020 Project manager and senior researcher: An assessment of abortion-seeking behaviours and preferences in rural communities of the Eastern Cape, South Africa funded by Marie Stopes South Africa.
2018 Research consultant: Building Resilience: Education Opportunities in Fragile and Crisis Affected Environments, European Commission-funded, University of Sussex-based project.
2018 Research consultant: Global Gag Rule Documentation Project, Phase II, funded by International Women’s Health Coalition, New York City.
2017 Researcher: Eastern Cape Liquor Board study on alcohol use during pregnancy in the Eastern Cape.
2014 Project coordinator and researcher: Pathways through University and into the Labour Market, Graduate Tracer Study, run by the Neil Aggett Labour Studies Unit (NALSU formerly LMRU) and commissioned by the Human Science Resource Council (HSRC) and the National Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET).
2013 Researcher: Overcoming poverty through a culture of service: Building a culture of service in the Chris Hani Municipality’, Joint ISER and Chris Hani Institute Study.
Last Modified: Mon, 10 Jun 2024 09:15:19 SAST