The National Research Foundation and priorities for critical research

Editor's note: The following article is the final section of a ‘thought paper’ entitled ‘Contexts, comparison and critical research’ prepared for the National Research Foundation (NRF), the main state-funded agency supporting academic research in the natural and social sciences. It is included here as part of our ongoing debate on how to strengthen South African sociology, and we welcome responses in the form of publishable letters. The full paper, which was one of a number commissioned by the NRF, is available from the author. At present, NRF research funding is structured around nine inter-disciplinary ‘focus areas’, including one called ‘Challenge of Globalisation: Perspectives from the Global South,’ which the author was involved developing.