"Twenty-five years ago, South Africa used to speak of the white universities on the one side, and the so-called bush universities on the other. The bush universities were, of cause, Black universities. Comparably under resourced, it was inevitable that black universities would lag behind in many respects; with research being one of those areas that was grossly neglected. However, with the new political dispensation, the status quo could not be allowed to continue. Black universities have had to enter the research arena as a way of responding to the clarion call, to enthrone African ways of knowing and also to put right some of the misrepresentations that resulted from skewed academic power relations between the black and the white sectors of our society. Those of us who have been part of the University of Venda longer, are proud of the strides the University has made in teaching, research and community engagement. The University has steadily moved up the ladder of South African universities' ranking in so far as research output is concerned."--Back cover.