Black students' experiences of transformation at UCT : a photovoice study

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorKessi, Shoseen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorCornell, Josephine Ruthen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2015-08-10T06:46:58Z
dc.date.available2015-08-10T06:46:58Z
dc.date.issued2015en_ZA
dc.description.abstractSouth African higher education has faced much structural transformation since the end of apartheid, and yet remains a racialised space. It is clear that despite a stated commitment to transformation in university policy nationally, in reality there is much ambivalence around transformation. In debates around transformation, black students are frequently represented in stigmatising ways. These negative representations are part of a discourse that holds the increasing numbers of black students responsible for lowering university standards. When black students encounter these discourses it can affect their self-esteem and academic performance. This study thus explores black students’ experiences of transformation at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Over six months, 10 black African and coloured UCT students participated in a photovoice research project. They participated in focus groups and produced personal reflections, photographs and written stories representing their experiences and perspectives on transformation in higher education in a previously white University. This data was analysed using thematic analysis, within a critical psychological framework, specifically decolonising psychologies. The participants’ everyday experiences of UCT were explored, and four themes were evident: the narrowness of UCT’s transformation focus; the prevalence of racial stereotypes on campus; the Eurocentric focus of the university; and the racialisation of space on campus. Ultimately, it appears that whiteness is dominant at UCT. This detrimentally affects many black students who are required to learn within this often unwelcoming white space, and who internalise the negative stereotypes they encounter. Nevertheless, many black students succeed. The participants in this study employed a variety of coping mechanisms to help them navigate through life at UCT. They were also able to employ strategies to resist the dominant discourse of black inferiority, and to re-present themselves and transformation on their own terms.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationCornell, J. R. (2015). <i>Black students' experiences of transformation at UCT : a photovoice study</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13689en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationCornell, Josephine Ruth. <i>"Black students' experiences of transformation at UCT : a photovoice study."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13689en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationCornell, J. 2015. Black students' experiences of transformation at UCT : a photovoice study. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Cornell, Josephine Ruth AB - South African higher education has faced much structural transformation since the end of apartheid, and yet remains a racialised space. It is clear that despite a stated commitment to transformation in university policy nationally, in reality there is much ambivalence around transformation. In debates around transformation, black students are frequently represented in stigmatising ways. These negative representations are part of a discourse that holds the increasing numbers of black students responsible for lowering university standards. When black students encounter these discourses it can affect their self-esteem and academic performance. This study thus explores black students’ experiences of transformation at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Over six months, 10 black African and coloured UCT students participated in a photovoice research project. They participated in focus groups and produced personal reflections, photographs and written stories representing their experiences and perspectives on transformation in higher education in a previously white University. This data was analysed using thematic analysis, within a critical psychological framework, specifically decolonising psychologies. The participants’ everyday experiences of UCT were explored, and four themes were evident: the narrowness of UCT’s transformation focus; the prevalence of racial stereotypes on campus; the Eurocentric focus of the university; and the racialisation of space on campus. Ultimately, it appears that whiteness is dominant at UCT. This detrimentally affects many black students who are required to learn within this often unwelcoming white space, and who internalise the negative stereotypes they encounter. Nevertheless, many black students succeed. The participants in this study employed a variety of coping mechanisms to help them navigate through life at UCT. They were also able to employ strategies to resist the dominant discourse of black inferiority, and to re-present themselves and transformation on their own terms. DA - 2015 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2015 T1 - Black students' experiences of transformation at UCT : a photovoice study TI - Black students' experiences of transformation at UCT : a photovoice study UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13689 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/13689
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationCornell JR. Black students' experiences of transformation at UCT : a photovoice study. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology, 2015 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13689en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Psychologyen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherPsychologyen_ZA
dc.titleBlack students' experiences of transformation at UCT : a photovoice studyen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMSocScen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
thesis_hum_2015_cornell_jr.pdf
Size:
2.02 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
Collections
Masters