Culture of violence as a mechanism to solve problems with authority among students at south african universities
- Autores: Keamogetse Morwe
- Directores de la Tesis: Elisa García España (dir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universidad de Málaga ( España ) en 2020
- Idioma: inglés
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: José Cid Moliné (presid.), Ana Isabel Cerezo Domínguez (secret.), Juan José Medina Ariza (voc.)
- Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociales por la Universidad de Málaga
- Materias:
- Enlaces
- Resumen
1. Introduction or motivation of the thesis In October 2015 the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) started the #FeesMustFall (#FMF) the largest democratic student movement against fee increases at public universities. With longevity and spread other 25 universities, the movement became more violent. By February 2016, property damages were R 42 million/ $ 2.7 million, while numerous students and staff members injured (Kahn, 2019). Violent student protests contradict the transformational value of HE to produce critical thinking, disciplined and learned individuals who have a sense of community (Department of Education, 1997). This study addresses an under-explored area to expose the circumstances that prompted students to resort to violence during the movement.
2. Theoretical development The study applied the Social Identity Theory (SIT) and the Group Engagement Model (GEM), as part of the Procedural Justice Theory (PJ). These theories assume that leaders can foster a common identity, cooperation and exercise their authority when they respectfully engage with their subordinates (Reicher, 2012; Tyler, 2006). Relinquishing of power is a sign of trustworthiness and legitimacy of authority. Negative relational dynamics create tensions, as it occurred during the #FMF movement. A multilevel sampling procedure with a parallel relationship yielded 177 individuals from three public universities (Onwuegbuzie & Collins, 2007). The disparate sample sizes (154 numeric and 23 narrative) precluded data transformation. The findings of the study reveal that the socio-political history of South Africa shapes the perceptions and attitudes of students towards the use of violence. These results differ according to race. Black and younger students shared that violence expedited their issues. Violence was seen as a regular and fun part of political participation, although not for sexually harassed female students. When related to the SIT and GEM, the study revealed that unmet needs made the relationships between the university stakeholders tenuous. Further, the interventions that authorities opted for namely: police or private security intervention, banning of protests or closing the university fuelled tensions.
3. Conclusion The results of the study reveal that: the disconnection between Black students and the university authorities; the normalisation and desensitisation of violence among university students and the burden of womanhood due to sexual harassment. Despite the small sample, the results indicate the lack of trust between students and the authorities, necessitating the evaluation of current engagement processes.
4. Consulted bibliography Department of Education. (1997). Education white paper 3: A programme for the transformation of higher education. South Africa. Pretoria, South Africa: Pretoria, South Africa: DoE.
Kahn, T. ( 2019, August 8). R 800m hangover from Fees Must Fall protests at universities. Timeslive. Retrieved from http://www.timeslive.co.za/ Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Collins, K. M. T. (2007). A typology of mixed methods sampling designs in social science research. The Qualitative Report, 12(2), 281–316. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2003.12.001 Reicher, S. (2004). The context of social identity: domination, resistance, and change. Political Psychology, 25(6), 921–945.
Tyler, T. R. (2006). Psychological perspectives in legitimacy and legitimation. Annual Review of Psychology, 57, 375–400. 10.1146/annurev.psych.57.102904.190038
