Abstract
When students took to the streets during the 2015-2016 protests, they demanded free and decolonised education. While the call for decolonisation of the university and the curriculum was not a new one, it was at its loudest when demanded by students across the country. There is a significant and growing body of literature on student movements as well as discussions of how leaders and activists understand the concept of “decolonisation”. However, research on the views of ordinary students including their experiences and opinions related to decolonisation is, to the best of my knowledge, insufficient. The dissertation addresses this issue. To answer the set research question, a mixed-methods approach using 1 080 questionnaires and 19 semi-structured interviews was deemed an appropriate choice for the research. These questionnaires and interviews were carried out on all four campuses of the University of Johannesburg. The data from the questionnaires allowed the researcher to get a feel for the attitudes and knowledge students had on decolonisation as well as to prompt new questions for the interviews. The interviews explored questions raised by the results from the survey as well as additional themes. The findings illustrated that while students may not be able to provide an articulate definition of decolonisation; they are able to carve out elements that are important for the realisation of decolonisation in universities and the curriculum. Furthermore, the findings speak to most of the concerns raised by scholars in relation to decolonising the universities such as incorporating knowledge that is produced by African scholars and highlighting the lived experiences that reflect the African setting. Additionally, findings show that there is room for improvement concerning the relationship between the students and the university so as to build trust and raise awareness. Students provide a rich contribution to a growing body of knowledge that centres students in contemporary issues such as decolonisation. This research provides insight into what “ordinary” students think and how that might assist those heading up the decolonisation project by getting a holistic view of the different opinions among students.
M.A. (Development Studies)