Abstract
This study explores transformation within South African universities by focusing on the experiences of black women academics participating in the new generation of academics programme (nGAP). Despite ongoing efforts to transform higher education, deeply entrenched societal practices such as racism and patriarchy continue to make academia a hostile environment for black women. In the literature, affirmative action policies and programmes are often recommended as a measure needed to transform higher education. Such programmes are designed to increase the participation of previously excluded and marginalised groups. Prioritising the transformation of the day-to-day academic experiences of black women is not only central to their well-being but is also crucial for achieving social justice in the broader South African context. Using Black Feminist Thought, in this qualitative study, I sought to explore black women academics’ experiences of transformation while participating in the nGAP.
I conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with fifteen (15) black nGAP lecturers regarding their experiences with the nGAP, as well as with four (4) nGAP mentors who provided contextual understanding of black women’s experiences within the nGAP. The nGAP strongly focuses on mentoring its participants to ensure they receive sufficient support while navigating the university as early-career academics pursuing their doctoral studies. In this study, I employed Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis method as a tool for data analysis.
The findings of this study reveal feelings of liminality- a state of in-between oppression and emancipation. The nGAP lecturers found the nGAP to be emancipatory as it served as a buffer from a hostile institutional culture and a way to give black women a fair chance to participate in academia. The oppressive
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experiences included black women’s reported feelings of isolation and instances of epistemic violence—the devaluation or dismissal of their intellectual contributions.
These challenges are profound and have wide-ranging implications, affecting academic performance and mental well-being of black women academics. Considering the direct link between black women's well-being and professional development and the broader goals of transformation in post-colonial South Africa, these inconsistencies are particularly concerning.