UP politics lecturer, Jervin Naidoo, is giving a megaphone to young political academics and writers through his newly established platform, The Art of Politics. This platform is an online opinion publication in which young academics, writers, and practitioners can voice their ideas and views to the global community.
While mainstream publications may present frustrating barriers to academic works, Naidoo’s website provides young political writers the freedom to share their experiences openly and without limitations.
Naidoo is a successful UP alumni with international qualifications. After completing his undergraduate and honours degrees in international relations, he attended the University of Warwick where he completed an MA in international political economy. In 2017 and 2018, he was the recipient of the prestigious British Chevening Scholarship. He has also trained under the Managing Global Governance program in Germany, which included practical experience at the United Nations and European Union. Naidoo was also a researcher at the Institute of Security Studies and the Luthuli Institute. Currently, Naidoo is a lecturer at UP for international relations and international political economy, in addition to supervising honours students.
“…provides young political writers the freedom to share their experiences openly and without limitations…“
What makes The Art of Politics unique, Naidoo tells PDBY, is the fact that stories and perspectives typically omitted by mainstream media are given a place on this platform. Mainstream publications have arduous steps and barriers for academic writing, which can be discouraging for up-and-coming writers in the current affairs realm. Potentially valuable articles have gone to waste due to the demotivating red-taping of major publications. Naidoo is one of many academics who have seen first-hand the need for a platform that showcases these works, and the impact that publication barriers have on young writers; therefore, The Art of Politics was born. Unheard voices are encouraged to share their writing and experiences on this website freely. Several UP students have been featured on the site already.
A month since its formation, The Art of Politics has gained over 3k views from readers all over the world. Naidoo hopes to grow the site and its influence on both a local and international scale. Through this platform, he wants to spotlight as many global writers as possible. He hopes that by the end of 2020, the site will have gained 20k views. A podcast is also being developed to accompany the content on the platform, which will be available on all major platforms soon.
Naidoo’s objective is a simple yet powerful one: to make a change. Publication barriers bar rising political writers from sharing their views. The Art of Politics strives to create a modern diverse space that grows South Africa’s understanding of politics – and eventually, the world. The website can be found on www.theartofpolitics.co.za and activities can be followed on Instagram at art_of_politics.
