This book examines the intersections between education, identity formation, and language in post-apartheid South Africa with specific attention to higher education. It does so against the backdrop of the core argument that the sector plays a critical role in shaping, (re)producing and perpetuating sectoral, class, sub-national and national identities, which in turn, in the peculiar South African setting, are almost invariably analogous with the historical fault lines determined and dictated by language as a marker of ethnic and racial identity. The chapters in the book grapple with the nuances related to these intersections in the understanding that higher education language policies – overt and/or covert – largely structure institutional cultures, or what has been described as curriculum in higher education institutions. Together, the chapters examine the roles played by higher education, by language policies, and by the intersections of these policies and ethnolinguistic identities in either constructing and perpetuating, or deconstructing ethnolinguistic identities upon which the sector was founded. The introductory chapter lays out the background to the entire book with an emphasis on the policy and practice perspectives on the intersections. The middle chapters describe the so-called “White Universities”, “Black Universities” and “Middle-Man Minorities Universities”. The final chapter maps out future directions of the discourses on language and identity formation in South Africa’s higher education.

The preamble to the post-apartheid South African constitution states that ‘South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity’ and promises to ‘lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law’ and to ‘improve the quality of life of all citizens’. This would seem to commit the South African government to, amongst other things, the implementation of policies aimed at fostering a common sense of South African national identity, at societal dev- opment and at reducing of levels of social inequality. However, in the period of more than a decade that has now elapsed since the end of apartheid, there has been widespread discontent with regard to the degree of progress made in connection with the realisation of these constitutional aspirations. The ‘limits to liberation’ in the post-apartheid era has been a theme of much recent research in the ?elds of sociology and political theory (e. g. Luckham, 1998; Robins, 2005a). Linguists have also paid considerable attention to the South African situation with the realisation that many of the factors that have prevented, and are continuing to prevent, effective progress towards the achievement of these constitutional goals are linguistic in their origin.

This book outlines successful transformation strategies and efforts that have been developed to assist the South African higher education system in moving beyond its post-apartheid state of being. Through case studies authored by South African higher education scholars and scholars affiliated with South African institutions, this book aims to highlight the status of transformation in the South African higher education system; demonstrate the variety of transformation initiatives used in academic institutions across South Africa; and offer recommendations to further advance this transformation. Written for scholars and advanced students of higher education in international settings, this volume aims to support quality research that benefits the demographic composition of South African academics and students, and offers lessons that can inform higher education transformation in similarly multicultural societies.

Hibbert explores South Africa’s higher education crisis utilising case studies and first-hand experiences with English as the language of instruction. The historical overview provides a framework with which to understand the complicated nature of using English as a language of instruction in South Africa, past and present. Student narratives are presented to illustrate mainly breakthroughs, but also challenges. An overview is provided, of imported English teaching methodologies and how they have emerged and developed in the local educational system over decades. It is demonstrated how these methodologies relate to socio-economic and political events and trends at each juncture. By applying defamiliarisation as a research method of investigation, students’ translanguaging struggles are recorded and discussed, both pre-pandemic and in the pandemic period. The experiences of non-monolingual English-speaking staff and students, and of local English/African language bilinguals is foregrounded, as they are by far the majority in South African higher education and schools. The relevance of the experiences and learning paths of those staff and students is enhanced. This book aids lecturers across disciplines and English language facilitators in the improvement of English acquisition curricula through exposure to arguments, case studies and learning path narratives in this volume, and prompts and inspires researchers to develop further theories and experiments in their own context.

The South African higher education system has historically been characterized by racial and gender inequities inherited from the discriminatory policies of the apartheid era. From the ascent to power of the National Party in 1948, tertiary institutions were divided along ethno-linguistic lines in accordance with the segregationist policies of the apartheid system. The 1990s ushered in a new political era characterized by the un-banning of political parties, the release of political prisoners, and the shift of political power from the Nationalist party to the government of national unity led by the African National Congress. Since the change of government in 1994 there has been a concerted effort to transform the system of higher education from one in which race, gender, and class determine access and success, to a more equitable one. The demise of apartheid in South Africa requires that educational institutions transform in order to reflect the changing nature of the country. This volume includes case studies on South African tertiary institutions immersed in the process of transformation, examining the issue of language policy at Afrikaans-medium institutions, the challenges that the historically white, English-medium institutions face when including a previously excluded group, the experiences of Black South African students enrolled at such institutions, and the challenges faced by historically disadvantaged institutions.

This book was written with the purpose of analyzing the challenges faced by the post-apartheid government in South Africa with regard to reform of higher education. It covers the apartheid context of higher education, resistance to the system and its ultimate demise, democratic processes in post-apartheid reform agenda and how this agenda was emptied of its radical content as a result of global and local pressures. Highlighted are key constraints in the reform process, including the compromise pact agreed upon between the apartheid government and the ruling African National Congress, the rapidly globalizing environment underpinned by neoliberal principles within which South Africa's transition took place, shifts in macro-economic policies of government towards neo-liberal policy, the inheritance of the bureaucracy and the inexperience of new government officials. These are presented in a narrative style that combines the author's experience, the voices of key players involved and important data from a range of documentary sources. This is the first single authored book in post-apartheid South African that has systematically looked at higher education reform.

Transforming Universities in South Africa: Pathways to Higher Education Reform responds to the pressing need to comprehensively review the post-apartheid experience and assess where South Africa’s higher education stands across the continent and globally, particularly within the country’s efforts to overcome decades of socio-economic imbalances.