Palesa Base

Palesa holds a BSocSci undergraduate degree in Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Sociology, and African Feminist Studies, as well as an Honours degree in Environmental and Geographical Sciences. With a strong interest in the discipline of geography and climate change adaptation her specific research focused on climate change adaptation in Cape Town's informal settlements in relation to flood risk, using a gender and intersectionality lens. Palesa's research has focused on core community engagement and participation in conjunction with non-profit organisations such as the Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC) and the Informal Settlement Network (ISN). Her broader research interests include understanding and investigating the role of spatial dynamics in the global south, which are shaped by social structures such as historical politics, class, race, and gender, and how these influence people's capacities, resilience, and adaptation pathways in a changing climate context.