Abstract
M.A. (Sociology)
The 2015-2016 student movement represented a watershed moment in South African
institutions of higher education. During this period, students throughout the country
challenged the power of both the state and universities, as they engaged in a series
of protests. The 2015 #FeesMustFall movement is said to be the largest student revolt
to ever take place in South Africa. The events were extensively reported in the media
both locally and internationally. The reports by journalists, academics and activists
managed to capture the collective actions of the students. However, they tend to cover
only the collective, rather than the experiences of specific individuals. This risks
perpetuating the idea that the experiences of participants in the movement are
homogenous, and neglects the individual identities which shape their experiences.
The central research question was: In what ways have the recent student
movements at the University of Pretoria shaped student activists’ identities?
To answer the research question, the study employed two feminist theoretical
frameworks, namely Intersectionality and the ‘Matrix of Power’. Intersectionality (by
Crenshaw, 1991) looks at the intersection of multiple identity markers (primarily race,
class, and gender) and how they shape the experiences of individuals. The approach
has become a useful framework in which to understand the postmodern project of
conceptualising multiple and shifting identities. Developing from Intersectionality is the
‘Matrix of Power’ by Hill Collins (2000). The Matrix assesses the intersection of
peculiar oppressions, including racism, classism and sexism, to understand how they
shape individual experiences of oppression and dominance. The Matrix of Power
promotes a more nuanced way of understanding an individual’s power within the
student movement and broader society.
A life history research method was employed together with other research methods to
understand individuals’ trajectories. Methods included in-depth interviews,
snowballing sampling, thematic data analysis, and an intersectional reflexive
approach. The use of the life history method provided details into the activists’
identities before, during and after the student movement. Seven student activists were
interviewed, but only four stories are reported in the study. Together with the life history
method of inquiry, the study employed an intersectional reflexive methodological
approach, which helped in unpacking the dynamic of power that plays out during...