Handbook of Quality of Life in African Societies

This handbook reflects on quality-of-life in societies on the continent of Africa. It provides a widely interdisciplinary text with insights on quality-of-life from a variety of scientific perspectives. The handbook is structured into sections covering themes of social context, culture and community; the environment and technology; health; education; and family. It is aimed at scholars who are working towards sustainable development at the intersections of multiple scientific fields and it provides measures of both objective and subjective quality-of-life. The scholarly contributions in the text are based on original research and it spans fields of research such as cultures of positivity, wellbeing, literacy and multilinguism, digital and mobile technologies, economic growth, food and nutrition, health promotion, community development, teacher education and family life. Some chapters take a broad approach and report on research findings involving thousands, and in one case millions, ofparticipants. Other chapters zoom in and illustrate the importance of specificity in quality-of-life studies. Collectively, the handbook illuminates the particularity of quality-of-life in Africa, the unique contextual challenges and the resourcefulness with which challenges are being mediated. This handbook provides empirically grounded conceptualizations about life in Africa that also encapsulate the dynamic, ingenious ways in which we, as Africans, enhance our quality-of-life.

Auteur

Irma Eloff is a professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Pretoria. She is also the Chairperson of the Council of 'Die Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns'. She is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and a founding member of the South African Positive Psychology Association (SAPPA). In 2012 she was chosen amongst the top three Most Influential Women in Business and Government in South Africa in the Education category. She is a former dean of Education at the University of Pretoria. She was the seventh dean and the first woman to hold the position. During her term, Education at the University of Pretoria achieved a ranking in the top 150-200 of the world on the World QS World university rankings for five consecutive years. She is the founder of the African Deans of Education Forum (ADEF) which is a focal point of the UNESCO International Teacher Task Force. The Teacher Task Force works to support the Sustainable Development Goals. Irma is an NRF-rated researcher and a registered psychologist in South Africa. Irma Eloff is an editor of the books 'Understanding Educational Psychology', 'Insigte uit Opvoedkundige Sielkunde' and 'Keys to Educational Psychology'. She is the co-author of the book 'Life Skills & Assets'. She has held visiting professorships at Yale University, Rhodes University, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, CPUT Wellington, Bathspa University UK and Fordham University in New York. In 2018 she was awarded a Förderkreis 1669 Wissenschafft Gesellschaft professorship at the Universität Innsbruck.Irma is an alumnus of the Universities of Pretoria, Stellenbosch, Northwest and the GIBS Business School.

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