2 - ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’: Challenges facing institutional transformation of historically white South African universities
Corresponding Author(s) : Sabrina Liccardo
African Sociological Review,
Vol. 21 No. 1 (2017): African Sociological Review
Abstract
Research on transformation of higher education institutions shows that the underrepresentation,
recruitment and retention of blacks and women in senior posts is still the major challenge facing the
project of transforming higher education, particularly in Historically White Universities (HWUs).
Several South African universities have responded to this challenge by initiating programmes for
the ‘accelerated development’ of black academic staff. In this project we were interested to examine
the wider implications of such programmes for transforming/reproducing existing institutional
cultures. Focusing on one particular HWU and the participants in its Accelerated Development
Programme (ADP) we asked whether or not the programme could be thought to have contributed
to the interruption or reproduction of the existing dominant institutional culture of the university.
The paper is based on interviews with 18 black lecturers who entered the academic workforce
through the university’s ADP. Employing Pierre Bourdieu’s theoretical framework of social and
cultural reproduction, we discuss how difficult it is to interrupt the naturalised norms and values
that form part of the existing institutional culture of a university.
Keywords
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- Badat, S., 2010. The challenges of transformation in higher education and training institutions in South Africa, Development Bank of Southern Africa, viewed 20 November 2014 from: http://www.dbsa.org/EN/About-Us/Publications/Documents/The challenges of transformation in higher education and training institutions in South Africa by Saleem Badat.pdf.
- Booi, M., Vincent, L. & Liccardo, S., 2017. Counting on demographic equity to transform institutional cultures at historically white South African universities? Higher Education Research & Development, 36(3), pp. 498-510.
- Bernstein, B. 1996. Pedagogy, symbolic control and identity: Theory, research, critique. aylor and Francis. Bourdieu, P., 1973. Cultural reproduction and social reproduction. In L. Karabel and A. H Halsey (eds), Power and Ideology in Education. pp. 487–511. Oxford Univeristy: Oxford Univeristy Press.
- Bourdieu, P., 1984. Distinction: a social critique of the judgement of taste, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
- Bourdieu, P. 1986. The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). New York, NY: Greenwood Press.
- Bourdieu, P. 1998. The state nobility: Elite schools in the field of power. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
- Bourdieu, P. & Passeron, J.C., 1977. Reproduction in Education, Society and Culture.
- Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage.
- Bourdieu, P. & Wacquant, L.J.D., 1992. An Invitation to Reflexive Sociology, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
- Canham, H., 2013. Black academics must stake their claim. City press, viewed 21 September 2014, from: http://www.citypress.co.za/columnists/black- academics-must-stake-their-claim/
- Clarke, J., & Newman, J. 1997. The managerial state: Power, politics and ideology in the remaking of social welfare. London: Sage.
- Crossley, N., 2003. From Reproduction to Transformation: Social Movement Fields and the Radical Habitus. Theory, Culture & Society, 20(6), pp.43–68.
- Demaine, J., 2003. Social reproduction and education policy. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 13(2), pp.125–140.
- Department of Education, 1997. White Paper 3 - A Programme for Transformation of Higher Education.
- Pretoria: Government Gazette, 58(18207), pp.324–326, viewed 15 September 2015, from: http://www.che.ac.za/sites/default/files/ publications/White_Paper3.pdf.
- DiMaggio, P., 1982. Cultural Capital and School Success: The Impact of Status Culture Participation on the Grades of U.S. High School Students. American Sociological Review, 47(2), pp.189–201.
- Dumais, S.A., 2002. Cultural Capital, Gender, and School Success: The Role of Habitus.
- Sociology of Education, 75(1), pp.44–68.
- Gaddis, S. M., 2012. The influence of habitus in the relationship between cultural capital and academic achievement, University of North Carolina: Elsevier Inc Publishers.
- Gramsci, A. 1971. Selections from the Prison Notebooks of Antonio Gramsci. (Transl.Q. Hoare, G. N. Smith). New York: International Heffernan, A., & Nieftagodieen, N. (Eds.). 2016. Students must rise: Youth struggle in South Africa before and beyond Soweto ‘76. Johannesburg: Wits University Press.
- Higher Education South Africa (HESA), 2011. A generation of growth: Proposal for a national programme to develop the next generation of academics for South Africa higher education, viewed 19 August 2014, from: http://hesa2015.
- websiteinprogress.co.za/sites/hesa2015.websiteinprogress.co.za/files/2011- HESA Building the Next Generation of Academics_0.pdf.
- Hlengwa, A., 2015. Reflections on attracting, developing and retaining the next generation of academics. In S. Mathews & P. Tabensky, eds. Being at home: Race, institutional culture and transformation of South African higher education institutions. Pietermaritzburg, South Africa: UKZN Press.
- Hoadley, U., 2006. The reproduction of social class differences through pedagogy: A model for the investigation of pedagogic variation. Paper presented at the second meeting of the consortium for research on schooling, university of Cape Town and Human Science Research Council, pp. 1–31. viewed 18 June 2014, from: http://www.jet.org.za/publications/jet-education-services-conferences/ School quality research seminar 2/school-effectiveness-studies-1/Hoadley.pdf.
- Hofmeyr, J., 2000. The Emerging School Landscape in Post-apartheid South Africa. Unpublished paper for Independent Schools Association of South Africa (ISASA), viewed 1 February 2016, from: http://stbweb01.stb.sun.ac.za/if/Taakgroepe/ iptg/hofmeyr.pdf.
- Huber, L., 1990. Disciplinary cultures and social reproduction. European Journal of Education, 25(3), pp.241–261.
- Kingston, P.W., 2001. The Unfulfilled Promise of Cultural Capital Theory. Sociology of Education, 74, p.88.
- Lareau, A. & Weininger, E.B., 2003. Cultural capital in educational research: A critical assessment. Theory Soc., 32(5/6), pp.567–606.
- Macris, V., 2011. The ideological conditions of social reproduction. Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, 9(1), pp.20–46.
- Messner, M.A., 2000. White guy habitus in the classroom. Men and Masculinities, 2(4), pp.457–469.
- Mngomezulu, B.R. & Ndlovu, B.B., 2013. The State of Racial Equity at South African Universities., 37(2), pp.109–115.
- Naidoo, R., 2004. Fields and institutional strategy: Bourdieu on the relationship between higher education, inequality and society. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 25(4), pp.457–471.
- Ndletyana, M., 2014. Middle-class in South Africa: Significance, role and impact. Johannesburg: Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA), viewed 16 June 2014, from: http://www.mistra.org.za/Library/ConferencePaper/Documents/ Middle Class in South Africa-Significance, role and impact.pdf.
- Robus, D., & Macleod, C. 2006. ‘White excellence and black failure’: The reproduction of racialised higher education in everyday talk. South African Journal of Psychology, 36(3), 463–480.
- Roodt, M., 2011. Research and Policy Brief: “Model C” is the model to emulate, South African Institute for Race Relations. Pretoria: University of Pretoria. Viewed 22 January 2016, from: http://irr.org.za/reports-and-publications/research-policy-brief/research-and-policy-brief-model-c-is-the-model-to-emulate-1- february-2011.
- Soudien, C., 2010. igher education- A briefing paper, Pretoria k of Southern Africa (DBSA).
References
Badat, S., 2010. The challenges of transformation in higher education and training institutions in South Africa, Development Bank of Southern Africa, viewed 20 November 2014 from: http://www.dbsa.org/EN/About-Us/Publications/Documents/The challenges of transformation in higher education and training institutions in South Africa by Saleem Badat.pdf.
Booi, M., Vincent, L. & Liccardo, S., 2017. Counting on demographic equity to transform institutional cultures at historically white South African universities? Higher Education Research & Development, 36(3), pp. 498-510.
Bernstein, B. 1996. Pedagogy, symbolic control and identity: Theory, research, critique. aylor and Francis. Bourdieu, P., 1973. Cultural reproduction and social reproduction. In L. Karabel and A. H Halsey (eds), Power and Ideology in Education. pp. 487–511. Oxford Univeristy: Oxford Univeristy Press.
Bourdieu, P., 1984. Distinction: a social critique of the judgement of taste, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
Bourdieu, P. 1986. The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). New York, NY: Greenwood Press.
Bourdieu, P. 1998. The state nobility: Elite schools in the field of power. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Bourdieu, P. & Passeron, J.C., 1977. Reproduction in Education, Society and Culture.
Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage.
Bourdieu, P. & Wacquant, L.J.D., 1992. An Invitation to Reflexive Sociology, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Canham, H., 2013. Black academics must stake their claim. City press, viewed 21 September 2014, from: http://www.citypress.co.za/columnists/black- academics-must-stake-their-claim/
Clarke, J., & Newman, J. 1997. The managerial state: Power, politics and ideology in the remaking of social welfare. London: Sage.
Crossley, N., 2003. From Reproduction to Transformation: Social Movement Fields and the Radical Habitus. Theory, Culture & Society, 20(6), pp.43–68.
Demaine, J., 2003. Social reproduction and education policy. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 13(2), pp.125–140.
Department of Education, 1997. White Paper 3 - A Programme for Transformation of Higher Education.
Pretoria: Government Gazette, 58(18207), pp.324–326, viewed 15 September 2015, from: http://www.che.ac.za/sites/default/files/ publications/White_Paper3.pdf.
DiMaggio, P., 1982. Cultural Capital and School Success: The Impact of Status Culture Participation on the Grades of U.S. High School Students. American Sociological Review, 47(2), pp.189–201.
Dumais, S.A., 2002. Cultural Capital, Gender, and School Success: The Role of Habitus.
Sociology of Education, 75(1), pp.44–68.
Gaddis, S. M., 2012. The influence of habitus in the relationship between cultural capital and academic achievement, University of North Carolina: Elsevier Inc Publishers.
Gramsci, A. 1971. Selections from the Prison Notebooks of Antonio Gramsci. (Transl.Q. Hoare, G. N. Smith). New York: International Heffernan, A., & Nieftagodieen, N. (Eds.). 2016. Students must rise: Youth struggle in South Africa before and beyond Soweto ‘76. Johannesburg: Wits University Press.
Higher Education South Africa (HESA), 2011. A generation of growth: Proposal for a national programme to develop the next generation of academics for South Africa higher education, viewed 19 August 2014, from: http://hesa2015.
websiteinprogress.co.za/sites/hesa2015.websiteinprogress.co.za/files/2011- HESA Building the Next Generation of Academics_0.pdf.
Hlengwa, A., 2015. Reflections on attracting, developing and retaining the next generation of academics. In S. Mathews & P. Tabensky, eds. Being at home: Race, institutional culture and transformation of South African higher education institutions. Pietermaritzburg, South Africa: UKZN Press.
Hoadley, U., 2006. The reproduction of social class differences through pedagogy: A model for the investigation of pedagogic variation. Paper presented at the second meeting of the consortium for research on schooling, university of Cape Town and Human Science Research Council, pp. 1–31. viewed 18 June 2014, from: http://www.jet.org.za/publications/jet-education-services-conferences/ School quality research seminar 2/school-effectiveness-studies-1/Hoadley.pdf.
Hofmeyr, J., 2000. The Emerging School Landscape in Post-apartheid South Africa. Unpublished paper for Independent Schools Association of South Africa (ISASA), viewed 1 February 2016, from: http://stbweb01.stb.sun.ac.za/if/Taakgroepe/ iptg/hofmeyr.pdf.
Huber, L., 1990. Disciplinary cultures and social reproduction. European Journal of Education, 25(3), pp.241–261.
Kingston, P.W., 2001. The Unfulfilled Promise of Cultural Capital Theory. Sociology of Education, 74, p.88.
Lareau, A. & Weininger, E.B., 2003. Cultural capital in educational research: A critical assessment. Theory Soc., 32(5/6), pp.567–606.
Macris, V., 2011. The ideological conditions of social reproduction. Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, 9(1), pp.20–46.
Messner, M.A., 2000. White guy habitus in the classroom. Men and Masculinities, 2(4), pp.457–469.
Mngomezulu, B.R. & Ndlovu, B.B., 2013. The State of Racial Equity at South African Universities., 37(2), pp.109–115.
Naidoo, R., 2004. Fields and institutional strategy: Bourdieu on the relationship between higher education, inequality and society. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 25(4), pp.457–471.
Ndletyana, M., 2014. Middle-class in South Africa: Significance, role and impact. Johannesburg: Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA), viewed 16 June 2014, from: http://www.mistra.org.za/Library/ConferencePaper/Documents/ Middle Class in South Africa-Significance, role and impact.pdf.
Robus, D., & Macleod, C. 2006. ‘White excellence and black failure’: The reproduction of racialised higher education in everyday talk. South African Journal of Psychology, 36(3), 463–480.
Roodt, M., 2011. Research and Policy Brief: “Model C” is the model to emulate, South African Institute for Race Relations. Pretoria: University of Pretoria. Viewed 22 January 2016, from: http://irr.org.za/reports-and-publications/research-policy-brief/research-and-policy-brief-model-c-is-the-model-to-emulate-1- february-2011.
Soudien, C., 2010. igher education- A briefing paper, Pretoria k of Southern Africa (DBSA).