South African History Online annually hosts “virtual internships” with Southern Methodist University students enrolled in a “History of South Africa” course with Dr. Jill Kelly. The project was inspired by an initial McGill University-SAHO partnership.
Over the course of a semester, students undertake research, develop writing and analytical skills, and meet virtually with SAHO researchers who support their projects. Previous research topics have surrounded the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2012-2013), twenty years of democracy (2013), women in history (2014), and artists in exile (2016).
The partnership produces essays for SAHO’s expanding history features and biographies. Introducing American students to SAHO and new scholarly efforts in South Africa reveals the significance of historical writing and the promotion of histories that reflect the diversity of experiences and peoples of South Africa.