Two decades after the democratic transition, South African universities are in turmoil. Whilst the old is slowly becoming unhinged, reimagining the new is protracted and contested. The challenges ahead, including a funding crunch, are formidable and bear the imprint of South African postcolonial specificities and global transformations in higher education. At this moment, critical and engaged socio-historical scholarship is indispensable. Transformation and Legitimation in Post-apartheid Universities: Reading discourses from Reitz is such a work. Revisiting the notorious Reitz incident of 2008, when a satirical video made by students from the University of the Free State (UFS) to register their resistance to the racial integration of black' students into historically white' residences became public, the text offers an analysis of the broader cultural and socio-political context that constituted the conditions of possibility for the incident and its aftermath. Attention is shifted from the principal actors in the original drama a handful of students and workers to a critical interrogation of the broader structures, positions, discourses and practices that fed into the Reitz incident', reaching into the present with violent and racially-charged student and worker protests in 2016. Van der Merwe and Van Reenen deliver a theoretically-rich analysis of the anatomy of current contestations about race and transformation in higher education in South Africa, the resultant legitimation crisis facing the UFS and South African universities more generally, as well as ways to restore institutional legitimacy and reputation, focusing on instituting deeper, more durable change that unlocks the promise of democracy. Dr Irma du Plessis University of Pretoria
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Extrait
Transformation and Legitimation in Post-apartheid Universities Reading Discourses from ‘Reitz’
JC van der Merwe & Dionne van Reenen
JC van der Merwe Dionne van Reenen
SERIES ON CRITICAL STUDIES IN
HIGHER EDUCATION TRANSFORMATION
Transformation and Legitimation in Post-apartheid Universities
Reading Discourses from ‘Reitz’
JC van der Merwe Dionne van Reenen
Transformation and Legitimation in Post-apartheid Universities: Reading Discourses
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INTRODUCTION TO THE SERIES
Series Title: Critical Studies in Higher Education Transformation
ManagingEditor: André Keet
ï îs wî grea excîemen and umîîy a we înroduce îs oo serîes under e auspîces o AFRïCAN SUN MeDïA and e ïnsîue or Reconcîîaîon and Socîa Jusîce (ïRSJ) a e Unîversîy o e Free Sae (UFS).
he îmîng o îs serîes îs îned o e swe în oca and goa demands over e pas ew years o quîcen e pace o îger educaîon ransormaîon înormed y înegraed and puraîs concepîons o jusîce. hîs juncure, îsorîcay produced y socîa, cuura, poîîca and economîc arrangemens and dynamîcs over a susaîned perîod o îme, as curreny ound expressîon în e anaomîes o proess and pracîces o dîssen among sudens, saf, organîsed socîa movemens and oer payers on e goa îger educaîon andscape. hese acs oresîsance agaîns srucuray-ancored orms o excusîon wîîn unîversîîes în Sou Arîca and esewere aso sugges, despîe our es efors, a e socîa srucure o e academy wî îs concomîan organîsaîon and egîîmaîon o nowedges and pedagogîca dîsposîîons, as remaîned more or ess înac over e pas severa decades.
An încreasîng numer o scoary wors on e ransormaîon o îger educaîon ave suraced on e naîona, regîona and goa scenes. hîs serîes uîds on ese îneecua conrîuîons roug e enses o e prîncîpes ocrîîqueandresîsance.hese prîncîpes are aîmed a acîîaîng producîvecrîîcapraxes. Ye, ecrîîcaîn îs serîes mus aso caenge e ‘se-ceraîny o e crîîcaaîude a conIdeny assumes a î îs
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TRANSFORMATION AND LEGITIMATION IN POST-APARTHEID UNIVERSITIES
1 reay în e now’. hecrîîcaîs caed upon o conron îs own codes, dogmas and docrînes. he praxes and ransormaîve acîons a emerge rom ecrîîcamus ereore dîscard eîr own se-ceraîny so as o e se-crîîca, ‘reLec on [eîr] own conîngen cîrcumsances and conexua 2 îmîaîons’, and us, remaîn open o moderaîon and oer possîîîîes’.
Crîîque and resîsanceas e renewa o our cuura radîîons, însîuîons, nowedges and pracîces în mînd în a word în wîc srucura arrangemens ony urer serve o sysemîcay and sysemaîcay moor înequaîîes and excusîons. hîs posure woud requîre demandîng and courageous reLecîve processes o se-carîIcaîon wîîn e academy o engage wî our orms o îe, cuura radîîons, academîc dîsposîîons 3 and socîa pracîces . Ony on îs asîs can a acors wîîn îger educaîon însîuîons generae praxes a provîde reaîîaed meanîngs or e îger educaîon ransormaîon prîncîpes o equîy and redress; democraîsaîon; deveopmen; quaîy; efecîveness and eicîency; 4 academîc reedom; însîuîona auonomy; and puîc accounaîîy. ïn addîîon, demands or e ‘Arîcanîsaîon’ and ‘decoonîsaîon’ o îger educaîon, vîrany arîcuaed y e ‘new’ suden socîa movemens, ave now suraced as poweru nodes ocrîîque andresîsanceSou în Arîca and esewere, însîsîng on îs owncrîîcaîy.
hecrîîcaîn îs serîes îs no înd o e consîderae compexîîes o îger educaîon în reaîon o ‘governance, managemen and eadersîp; e suden envîronmen – equîy, access and success; e saing envîronmen; e cuura and socîa envîronmen; researc and îneecua cuures; e roe o unîversîîes în socîey; însîuîona equîy and ransormaîon;
1
2 3
4
Hoy, D. C. 2004.Critical resistance: from poststructuralism to post-critique. Cambridge: MIT Press. p237. ibid. p238239. See Kompridis, N. 2006.Critique and disclosure: critical teory between past and future.Cambridge: MIT Press. p. 8. Department of Education, Wite Paper 3 on te Transformation of te Higer Education System, 1997.
ïn îne wî îs reasonîng, we învîe proposas and suggesîons or monograps and edîed compîaîons o orîgîna scoarsîp a crîîcay anayse paerns oîncusîonandexcusîonand conIguraîons orecognîîonsandmîsrecognîîonswîîn îger educaîon apropos: e socîa srucure o e academy, e power-reaîons emedded wîîn e organîsaîon o nowedge, îs dîscîpînes and dîscîpes; e mecanîcs o auorîy and power wîîn nowedge generaîon processes, researc sujecs, ojecs, opîcs and rends; e poîîcs o nowedge and academîc puîsîng; pedagogîca ypoogîes; e consrucîon o proessîona and suden îdenîîes; e reguaîon o suden îe and voîce; suden and saf acîvîsms, saf and suden access and success; e înerpay eween pedagogy, researc and însîuîona cuure; e poîîca economy o îger educaîon; and e connecîonîs dynamîcs eween îger educaîon and e sae, prîvae secor, îneres groups, pressure ormaîons and e roader socîey.
5
6
Universities Sout Africa. 2015 Reflections on Higer Education Transformation: Discussion paper prepared for te second national Higer Education Transformation Summit, Durban, Sout Africa. hese are no poverty; no unger; good ealt; quality education; gender equality; clean water and sanitation; renewable energy; good jobs and economic growt; innovation and infrastructure; reduced inequalities; sustainable cities and communities; responsible consumption; climate actions; life below water; life on land; peace and justice; and partnersips for te goals. See te full document at ttp://www.un.org/ ga/searc/view_doc.asp? symbol=A/RES/70/1&Lang=E. [Accessed 17 June 2016].
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TRANSFORMATION AND LEGITIMATION IN POST-APARTHEID UNIVERSITIES
he serîes ocuses on a road audîence y wîc puîc îneecua deaes can conrîue o dynamîcpraxesîn servîce o e deep cange wîîn unîversîîes commanded y oca and goa democraîc and socîa-jusîce aspîraîons. ïner-însîuîona coaoraîons around îs serîes may emerge wî, or însance, e panned Cenre or Crîîca Sudîes în Hîger Educaîon Transormaîon a e Neson Mandea Meropoîan Unîversîy (NMMU) and oer ouIs. We wî wecome suggesîons and approaces în îs regard o uîd a newor ocrîîcaand engaged scoars across e îger educaîon andscape. André Keet Dîrecor ïnsîue or Reconcîîaîon and Socîa Jusîce Unîversîy o e Free Sae
June 2016
viii
PREFACE
hîs îs a rave oo wrîen wî deep undersandîng and moduaed mora anger. ïn crîîcay ocusîng on a momen în e îsory o e Unîversîy o e Free Sae – e înamous Reîz even – JC van der Merwe and Dîonne van Reenen enae us o undersand e dep and emedded naure o racîsm în our îger educaîon însîuîons.
he essons a emerge o prîor o and ater e vîdeo ecame puîc (26 Feruary 2008) are sîgnîIcan – no jus o e Unîversîy o e Free Sae în efors o address e caenges o însîuîona racîsm, u aso o e îger educaîon secor în genera. Peraps e mos eîng esson a e experîences o e unîversîy as or us îes în e roe o mora courage în eadîng a reeness srugge agaîns racîsm – o a our însîuîons o îger earnîng and our counry a arge. he very naure o racîsm îs suc a î pervades and enveopes every aspec o our îves. ïn însîuîons suc as unîversîîes, were radîîon, nowedge, scoarsîp and cuure pay suc a cenra roe, î îs quîe seducîve o e par o wa ecomes vîewed as an îndîspensae ‘cuure erîage’ o unîversîîes. he cuura aggage a surrounds our unîversîîes îs oten rooed în acors suc as cass, gender and race.
ï îs o dîicu and demandîng o possess e mora courage o recognîse and gîve cenraîy o e naure o e srugge we need o engage în î we wan o advance agaîns racîsm în our însîuîons o îger educaîon. ïn addîîon o mora courage, e srugge agaîns racîsm requîres a reeness momenum a mus e maînaîned on a daîy asîs. One o e essons
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TRANSFORMATION AND LEGITIMATION IN POST-APARTHEID UNIVERSITIES
a our srugge agaîns racîsm as sown us îs a racîsm reaces deep îno our socîey, and as a resu î îs very easy o sîp ac and ose any gaîns we mîg ave made. We need o progress, no ony wî e îgger îssues, u aso în our daîy pracîces and across a aspecs o unîversîy îe.
We need o înegrae e srugge agaîns racîsm în our unîversîîes îno e mîssîons o our unîversîîes. he pracîce o reaîng îs îssue as separae rom e oer wor o unîversîîes îs peraps one o e reasons wy progress and advances ave een sow. he pursuî o academîc exceence canno appen în îsoaîon o e wîder socîa caenges a conron us as a naîon. hîs caenge îs o compex and demandîng as î requîres a new and dîferen way o înîng aou e roe o unîversîîes and oer însîuîons o îger educaîon în 21s cenury Sou Arîca.
here îs no eer îme an e presen or cear and vîsîonary eadersîp în e îger educaîon secor. As par o îs crîîca urnîng poîn we need e courage o as deep and undamena quesîons aou wa we eac, ow we eac, ow we govern, e înes o accounaîîy, e ocî and uncîonîng o power and conro, meanîngu parîcîpaîon în crîîca aspecs o e îe o e unîversîy, e roe o sudens eyond orma represenaîon, and e dîferen modes and srucures o communîcaîon.
Wîe our unîversîîes mus accep e responsîîîy or gîvîng meanîng o our consîuîon în e academîc erraîn, we need o remînd ourseves a îs caenge canno occur în îsoaîon rom e roader caenges o uîdîng and srengenîng our democraîc socîey. No eer îssue serves o îusrae îs an e manner în wîc we dea wî racîsm as a naîon. Our approac seems o e caracerîsed y a serîes o Is and sars, generay promped y e socîa medîa and e newspapers or a ew days, oowed y a reurn o a sae o compacency unî e nex appenîng. ï we aî as a naîon o dea efecîvey wî e caenges o racîsm, en our unîversîîes wî conînue o srugge o dea wî îs.