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

Jawitz, Jeff

doi:10.1080/13562517.2016.1198760

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…In research conducted by Jawitz (2016) at the University of Cape Town, it was revealed that white male academic staff honestly wrestled with the privileges and limitations of their white identity. He found that many of them distanced themselves from the 'white' stereotyping by remaining silent about injustice and by not interfering in aspects related to race as a result of feelings of guilt.…”

Section: The Changing Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decolonising an introductory course in practical theology and missiology: Some tentative reflections on shifting identities

Nell

2021

Transformation in Higher Education

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Background: The shifting identity of a first-year class over a decade in terms of demography and representation, inevitably led me to reflect deeply on what I teach them and how I facilitate the learning process. I had to pay close attention to decolonisation and contextualisation. The basic research question is: How does one reflect on the shifting identity of a first-year class and how does one decolonise a first-year module in Practical Theology and Missiology?Aim: To answer the research question by taking the following route. Firstly, aspects of the changed context and shifting identity will be discussed and secondly, attention will be given to what is meant by decolonisation, with specific reference to the curriculum. Thirdly, the focus will be on a proposed curriculum that uses a theo-dramatic approach. Fourthly, I reflect on the learning process (pedagogy) and how it also contributes to a shift in my own identity.Setting: The research is set against the backdrop of changes that took place over the last two decades in Higher Education in South Africa including the commodification of higher education, the lack of adequate financial resources and the #FeesMustFall movement.Methods: As the research design, a case study is selected for the study project.Results: The development of a new pedagogy.Conclusion: With this contribution I attempted to reflect, in the light of the changing profile of the class composition of a first-year module in Practical Theology and Missiology in terms of demography (BCI students), to what extent it also leads to a shift of identities.

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Section: The Changing Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decolonising an introductory course in practical theology and missiology: Some tentative reflections on shifting identities

Nell

2021

Transformation in Higher Education

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“…"... fear, shame, guilty as charged, this shouldn't be happening after the riots -it was fought for already." Jawitz (2016) …”

Section: Settler Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Real and imagined racial differences and similarities between groups of students and lecturers have consequences within HE contexts (Jawitz 2016). Jawitz (2016) investigated the experiences of white male academic staff at UCT and found that they grapple with the privileges and limitations that accompany their white identities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Jawitz (2016) investigated the experiences of white male academic staff at UCT and found that they grapple with the privileges and limitations that accompany their white identities. He discovered that a stigma exists linked to being white and that lecturers resort to distancing themselves from the "white" stereotype by remaining silent about injustice and by "not interfering" with issues regarding race and protest due to guilt.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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#FeesMustFall and decolonising the curriculum: Stellenbosch University students’ and lecturers’ reactions

Costandius

Blackie

Nell

et al. 2018

SAJHE

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In South African higher education institutions, the student protests of 2015-2016 called for the decolonisation of higher education spaces and equal access to these spaces. We collected data from students and lecturers over the period of one year in order to better understand the reactions of students and lecturers and the effects the protests had on their experiences. Perspectives of affective theory, decolonisation and social justice were used. It was discovered that the protests had a great affective impact on participants. Strong emotions and beliefs affected the relationships between students and lecturers and African centrality was suggested as a framework for curriculum change. Some settler perspectives emerged and polarisation was evident. It is our hope that lecturers could use this research to assist them in decolonising their spaces of teaching and learning.

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“…This critical moment, one that I have written about in more detail (Pillay et al, 2019), happened in my oral communication class where race and class were unintentionally foregrounded. I had recognised the need to connect more closely with students (Jawitz, 2016) because I could understand the gaping divide between who I was as lecturer and my students.…”

Section: Identifying My Restrictionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unlearning my communication pedagogy through poetic inquiry

Rawlinson¹

2020

Journal of Education

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Feeling disenchanted with my communication pedagogy to undergraduate students at a university of technology, I searched for a means to improve my practices. Poetic inquiry assisted in unveiling how my personal and professional lived experiences had moulded my lecturer self and negatively influenced my communication practices. The reflexive writing of poems created an imaginative space in which embedded values and assumptions could be excavated, and the complexity of my entrenched beliefs made visible. The creative space helped crystallise my thinking and generate fresh insights into my white race and class privilege. New interpretations of how a merging of my personal and professional identities could improve my classroom teaching and learning were evoked through poetic inquiry. Furthermore, as a form of analysis, it served to disrupt ingrained instrumentalist patterns of thinking and acting whilst enabling a more imaginative envisioning of my communication pedagogy.

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

Abstract: The real and imagined racial differences and similarities between groups of students and staff have consequences in everyday experiences in South Africa. One

Cited by 11 publications

References 12 publications

Decolonising an introductory course in practical theology and missiology: Some tentative reflections on shifting identities

Decolonising an introductory course in practical theology and missiology: Some tentative reflections on shifting identities

#FeesMustFall and decolonising the curriculum: Stellenbosch University students’ and lecturers’ reactions

Unlearning my communication pedagogy through poetic inquiry

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