Abstract
There is a particular conception of the social role of higher education; however, it is limited and does not account for other hidden roles of intellectual participation by university graduates. This paper aims to go beyond the perceived conventional and publicly recognisable social role of higher education by focusing on what graduates from an underprivileged community of Kwa Thema Township do with their university education and experience to impact on the community in ways that are hidden. These ways are hidden because they take place within social groups in communities as a way of offering assistance and showing humanity. This dissertation argues that graduates use their university education and experience to advance social change in ways that are hidden and not easily accounted for in literature and in the public sphere. To prove this point, a qualitative approach, including in-depth interviews, was used with eight University of Johannesburg graduates who reside in the township. Results show that indeed graduates are contributing to the community in hidden ways by assisting other young people with tertiary applications, assisting neighbours with useful information and aiding high school learners with difficult subjects. These contributions demonstrate that our understanding of the broader role of higher education in society can be widened beyond the technical and economic functions we are aware of. The paper concludes that some university graduates are not only concerned about getting access to the labour market, however, they also have desires for social justice and aspirations to contribute to their underprivileged communities. The dissertation further concludes that more sociological research is fundamental for understanding unconventional realities that play a significant role in the functioning of our society.
M.A. (Sociology)