Professor Stephen Peté

Associate Professor

pete@ukzn.ac.za

Howard College

HC Building – Suite G, 1st Floor

Biography

Professor Stephen Peté is an Associate Professor in the School of Law. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of Natal, a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from the University of Cape Town, a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree in Criminology from the University of Cambridge, and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Law from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Professor Peté is a former recipient of the Distinguished Teacher Award in recognition of excellence in teaching and an outstanding contribution to learning at the University of Natal. In 2000 he was awarded the prestigious Colenso Scholarship to attend St John’s College, Cambridge as a Visiting Scholar.

He is an active researcher, and has published widely in the fields of jurisprudence, civil procedure, criminology, environmental law and human rights. He was the most widely published academic in the Faculty of Law and Management Studies in 2016, with no fewer than ten peer reviewed academic journal articles to his credit. Professor Peté is not only a highly qualified academic and prolific researcher, but also a qualified professional within the field of law.

He was admitted as an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa in 1991 and practised as a legal professional in both the public and private sectors for a number of years. Professor Peté currently lectures in the following undergraduate and post-graduate modules: Undergraduate – Introduction to South African Law, Jurisprudence and Civil Procedure; Postgraduate – History and Philosophy of Constitutionalism and Criminology. He also supervises a significant number of research projects and dissertations at both the Masters and Doctoral level.

Academic qualifications

BA LLB (Natal)
LLM (Cape Town)
M Phil (Cantab)
PhD (UKZN)

Professional qualification

Admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa

Research Interests

Jurisprudence
Civil Procedure
Environmental Law
Criminology
Constitutional Law
Human Rights

Publications

Stephen Peté “Socrates and Student Protest in Post-Apartheid South Africa – Part Two” 2015 Journal for Juridical ScienceVolume 40 Number 2 at pages 1 to 23.
Stephen Peté “Socrates and Student Protest in Post-Apartheid South Africa – Part One” 2015 Journal for Juridical ScienceVolume 40 Number 1 at pages 1 to 18.
Stephen Peté “Holding Up a Mirror to Apartheid South Africa: Public Discourse on the Issue of Overcrowding in South African Prisons 1980 to 1984 – Part Two” 2015 Obiter Volume 36 Number 1 at pages 17 to 40.
Stephen Peté “Holding Up a Mirror to Apartheid South Africa: Public Discourse on the Issue of Overcrowding in South African Prisons 1980 to 1984 – Part One” 2014 Obiter Volume 35 Number 3 at pages 485 to 505.
Stephen Peté “Apartheid’s Alcatraz – The Barberton Prison Complex during the Early 1980s – Part One” 2015 Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal Volume 18 Number 2 at pages 273 to 304.
Stephen Peté “Apartheid’s Alcatraz – The Barberton Prison Complex during the Early 1980s – Part Two” 2015 Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal Volume 18 Number 2 at pages 305 to 330.

Papers Delivered

“Apartheid in the food – an overview of the diverse social meanings attached to food and its consumption within South African prisons during the colonial and apartheid periods” presented with Angela Crocker at the conference of the Association for the Study of Law, Culture and Humanities at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island on 19 March 2010.
“Spring was rebellious, but it’s all over now – public art, politics and the law in post-apartheid South Africa” presented at the conference of the Society of Law Teachers of South Africa, held in Stellenbosch, on 18 January 2011.
“Ancient rituals and their place in the modern world: Culture, masculinity and the killing of bulls” presented with Angela Crocker at the conference of the Association for the Study of Law, Culture and Humanities at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada on 11 March 2011.

Co-Authored Books

Max du Plessis and Stephen Peté (2006) “Handbook on Ratification of Human Rights Instruments” Commonwealth Secretariat: London.
Stephen Peté, David Hulme, Max du Plessis, Robin Palmer (2011) “Civil Procedure: A Practical Guide – Second Edition” Oxford University Press: Cape Town.

Journal Articles – Sole Author

Stephen Peté “South Africa’s Quixotic Hero and His Noble Quest – Constitutional Court Justice Albie Sachs and the Dream of a Rainbow Nation” 2010 Obiter Volume 31 Number 1 at pages 1 to 15.
Stephen Peté “The Proposed Legalisation of Prostitution in South Africa – Framing the Debate from a Liberal Perspective” 2010 Obiter Volume 31 Number 3 at pages 535 to 555.
Stephen Peté “Holding Up a Mirror to Apartheid South Africa: Public Discourse on the Issue of Overcrowding in South African Prisons 1980 to 1984 – Part One” 2014 Obiter Volume 35 Number 3 at pages 485 to 505.

Professor Stephen Peté full list of publications

School of Law