Race and assessment practice in South Africa: understanding black academic experience

Abstract

Despite efforts to transform the racialised system of higher education in South Africa inherited from apartheid, there has been little research published that interrogates the relationship between race and the experience of academic staff within the South African higher education environment. Drawing on critical discourse analysis and critical race theory, this article traces the experience of two black male academics in relation to the assessment practices of their colleagues at a historically white university in South Africa. The interviewees, both graduates from the departments in which they teach, reflected on their experience of their departmental assessment practices both as black students and black academics. The analysis concludes that despite their differing perceptions and experiences they both regard the assessment practices of some of their white colleagues as undermining of their black students' efforts to succeed.

Unearthing white academics’ experience of teaching in higher education in South Africa

“…His admission that as a white academic he treated his black students 'gentler' is in line with the behaviour of white academics reported by Zaid, one of the black academics in my previous study (Jawitz 2012).…”

“…I had previously explored the narratives of two black academics at a historically white university in South Africa (Jawitz 2012). Their stories reflected a positioning of their teaching practice in relation to that of their fellow white academics.…”

Transformation and self-identity: Student narratives in post-apartheid South Africa

“…The reasons for protest are manifold, but generally revolve around diversity and transformation, or lack thereof. Despite major government instigated restructurings -the most noticeable being the 2004 merger operation -many university cultures have shown a notorious slow degree of change compared with the pre-1994 situation (Aina 2010;Balintulo 2003;Chetty & Merrett 2014;Cloete 2014;Cross 2004;Higgins 2013;Jansen 2009;Jawitz 2010;Kamsteeg 2011;Keet & Nel 2016;Seabi et al 2012;Soudien 2008;Tabensky & Matthews 2015;Verwey & Quayle 2012;Walker 2005a;2005b;Walker & Loots 2016). This article presents narratives of self-identity of students from the University of the Free State (UFS), a formerly all-white and Afrikaans-medium taught university that is actually going through a critical transition phase (Keet & Nel 2016).…”

Sandwiched between groups: Upward career experiences of South African Indian women

“…Some research related to CRT has been conducted within the South African context. This research was conducted in the Academic environment, (Jawitz, 2012), Legal studies (Modiri, 2012) and Theology (Conradie, 2016). Modiri (2012) argued that there is a lack of studies related to CRT in the South African legal system and calls for more attention to race.…”