Who Women Are: Celebrating Identities Across Borders
COIL Academic Project · Faculty of Humanities
Who Women Are: A Context in the Arts is a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) academic project that examines women’s identities, agency and visibility through artistic and philosophical practices. The project connects students, faculty and communities across the United States, South Africa and India, fostering intersectional, culturally grounded, and globally engaged digital arts practices.
As Ntlahla Mpahla from CUT describes it, the project “is a celebration of women’s identities across borders. It highlights the importance of cross-cultural collaboration in broadening perspectives and demonstrating how art and design can serve as a universal language to connect, reflect and honour the multifaceted nature of women around the world.”
Strategic Alignment
Strategic Goal 4
A Global Footprint: Building international partnerships and cross-cultural collaboration that expand CUT’s reach and impact.
UoT Mandate
This project fulfils the University of Technology mandate through innovative digital arts education, global engagement, and the cultivation of culturally responsive teaching practices that connect students across continents.
Project Partners and Impact
Who Women Are brings together three universities across three continents to explore how art and design can serve as universal languages for understanding women’s lived experiences. The project creates a living laboratory for intersectional, culturally grounded digital arts practice.
Measurable Outcomes
- Cross-cultural collaboration that broadens perspectives and demonstrates how art and design connect communities across borders.
- Intersectional, culturally grounded digital arts practices developed through online international learning.
- A global platform celebrating women’s multifaceted identities and honouring their agency and visibility through artistic expression.
International Partners
Florida International University (Miami, USA) and Woxsen University (Hyderabad, India)
South African Leadership
Central University of Technology, Free State: Faculty of Humanities, led by Ntlahla Mpahla
Get Involved
Join CUT in advancing cross-cultural collaboration through the arts. Explore how your institution, cultural organisation, or arts initiative can partner with us on international digital arts projects, COIL programmes, and research that celebrates diverse identities and fosters global understanding.
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