Page 24 - Transformation Indaba Report

The conceptual frameworks offered by Prof Keet and Prof reflections become self-congratulatory, PR exercises in an-
Soudien are helpful in providing a point of reference for nual reports or other forms of accountability as opposed
critical reflection and self-evaluation for universities, as it to authentic honest assessments of where universities find
relates to transformation. It would be useful to explore how themselves on the axes of equity and development as well
we can promote nuanced reflections on transformation as compliance and innovation. (H Nel)
praxis and progress in this sector. The danger is that such

In relation to Prof Soudien’s presentation - has any analysis set of global imperatives on the university systems? Issues
been done around the composition of councils at uni- which really affect, not so much the sociology, but the po-
versities, given the particular interests and proclivities which litical economy of higher education especially given the
are quite dominant in the way in which councils view the privatization imperative and austerity, the issues of the way in
role of universities? which universities are managed? I recently saw an article
about the US losing half a million jobs in the HE system. I’m
In relation to what the VC spoke about – the question about beginning to wonder whether we shouldn’t be doing some
who owns the university, questions about power, questions similar research about how that impacts the sociology of
of higher purpose and universities. How is transformation our university systems. (E Motala)
meant to respond? Is transformation not complicated by the

The VC spoke about the need for us and for the university want to transform them using the very same knowledge
to unlearn. Building on that, I’m wondering whether the that we learnt from the institutions. In other words, can we
university has got capacity to unlearn and relearn. Is the uni- really undo that which we contributed to its construction?
versity able to negate the type of knowledges it produces So can you undo that, if society is a mirror image of uni-
which has set a contribution in terms of how society is struc- versities and vice versa, if the two are interconnected and
tured? This question is linked to the point Odwa raised. interrelated. Is it capable of doing that? And how does the
Just like us, we are products of these universities, and we university really learn? (Luthando)

Historically and world-wide very few universities that economy. Therefore, imagining a university outside of that is
commit ‘suicide’ in terms of its dominant epistemology difficult. It is however possible for a discipline to totally
survive. These universities encounter immense difficulty, renovate itself, and this has been seen. Going forward, the
especially financial. Sustainability and reproduction of prospects are immensely complicated. No instant changes
the modern university is premised around the capitalist will happen. (C Soudien)

Prof Soudien has summed it up nicely! Major difficulties holder/funder so that it can become an exciting social
in puncturing the dominant university, it does not mean we project? I don’t know the answer, but it is desirable. We
must give up. We must keep on working at it. Can a uni- mustn’t give up on it, but rather find other angles to create
versity work at refusing to be owned by any group/stake- slivers of possibility. (S Muthwa)

NelsoN MaNdela UNiversity • traNsforMatioN iNdaba • 2022 18