Social Work Academic Publishes Memoir

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Emeritus Professor Vishanthie Sewpaul, a social work academic within the School of Applied Human Sciences, and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Stavanger, Norway, has published a memoir, In The Arcs of Our Paths: Growing into Wholeness in which she demonstrates how our everyday and exceptionally hard struggles and experiences can be drawn upon to become better versions of ourselves. 

Through her stories, Sewpaul shows that overcoming obstacles with grit and resilience - coupled with grace, empathy and service - leads us on the path of becoming heroes of our lives. 

Sewpaul, the recipient of honorary doctorates from Chile, Norway and Sweden, is a globally recognised human rights scholar, international speaker and activist. The Arc of Our Paths presents an introspective look at what has shaped her life.

She explores her upbringing and family life under apartheid, and her professional integrity and success, as well as her personal struggles and pain, along with her spiritual journey and growth into wholeness. The memoir captures the essence of an amazing life. Over three chapters, she reflects on her academic, institutional, national and international experiences. 

Said Sewpaul, ‘This book has been in the making most of my adult life.  I wrote as much for my own healing, as for my family, and anyone else who sees their arcs through the vicissitudes of my paths. The memoir comprises 13 inter-linked chapters that describe my shifts from holes to wholeness, personally, professionally and spiritually.’

The memoir begins with a chapter on Writing in the time of Covid-19: March 2020 where she details significant events in her life within a defined space and time, reflecting the threats and socio-political discourses around an invisible virus wreaking havoc across borders. It introduces issues around structure and agency, freewill and destiny, synchronicity, power, vulnerability and human suffering, which are threads in each of the chapters that follow. 

The book contains personal life stories from apartheid South Africa, and powerful testimonies of how oppressive structures destroy lives, and sends a clear message on the necessity of fighting injustice in any society. Sewpaul also conveys direction and hope by stressing that it is possible, against all odds, to ‘grow into wholeness’, and to participate in making the world a better place. 

The book is available from Amazon here. It's also available at Esther’s Book Store, Hyper-by-the sea, Durban North; Ike’s Book Store, and Choices, at Pick n Pay Centre, Queensburgh and here.

Words: Melissa Mungroo

Photograph: Supplied