School of Social Sciences

Professor Simon Burton is an Honorary Associate Professor of Sociology in the School of Social Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. After early career teaching appointments at the University of Cape Town, and Rhodes University, Professor Burton took a position at the Pietermaritzburg campus of the then University of Natal, where he completed his Masters and Doctoral studies, and taught until his retirement in 2014. With research interests in media, communications and development, and expertise in transport studies, urbanism and latterly, in planning issues, Professor Burton taught, supervised and published in these fields. Notable collaborations with colleagues in Information Studies, and work with international teams on culture, political communication, and new communication technologies contributed to debates in these fields. He continues to supervise postgraduate students and play a role in the institutional aspects of the academy.