Experiences of (non)-belonging and identity formation of teachers of colour teaching at independent schools with predominantly white learner populations in the Western Cape

Sylvester, Michelle

Experiences of (non)-belonging and identity formation of teachers of colour teaching at independent schools with predominantly white learner populations in the Western Cape

Thesis / Dissertation

2026

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

School of Education

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

This thesis explores the lived experiences of teachers of colour (TOCs) at predominantly white independent schools in the Western Cape, with a focus on perceived feelings of TOC "non-belonging". The focus of the thesis is to examine and analyse some of the reasons and factors that lead to notions of whiteness and white superiority prevailing as key cultural artefacts within independent schools with predominantly white populations, despite legislative efforts to decolonise the South African educational landscape. Attention is given to what is understood as core to the development of the institutional identity of Western Cape independent schools, highlighting the evident tension between teacher professional or societal contributions and teacher (un)willingness to be assimilated or subsumed into what is understood as the school's core identity. In other words, how does integration get operationalised within Western Cape independent schools, and what are some of the key challenges that emerge within the schools tied to systemic power dynamics? Analysing its findings through the dual conceptual lenses of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and intersectionality, the thesis teases out key elements of the schools' institutional culture and their efforts in relation to (racial) transformation. It further unpacks the make-up of what is claimed to be meritocracy within Western Cape schools and the conceptual interplay of meritocracy and narratives of whiteness and racial superiority at these independent schools. Through semi-structured, open-ended interviews with teachers of colour at these independent schools, the study shows how navigating physical school spaces, experiences of bias, carrying the weight and invisible labour in leading transformation agendas, persistent fear and anxiety, and the need for ever-present perseverance, places an enormous burden and stress on teachers of colour at the schools. A key finding was that the study participants all lived through apartheid and are seasoned teachers with substantial experience of working in both public and independent schools. A further interesting finding was that in the post-apartheid period the experience and professional identities of teachers of colour often complicated their navigation of 'white' spaces, transforming their professional 1 authority into arenas and contested sites of negotiation, survival, and resistance. Teachers of colour reported a profound sense of non-belonging, noting that they were further taxed (and uncompensated) by having to lead the ‘diversity and inclusion work' at these schools, without much recognition and assistance from the majority of their colleagues self-identifying as white. The study reveals how systemic microaggressions are the main tools by which ‘whiteness' is maintained and sustained within the school's culture and how the boundaries of institutional norms are policed.