Elmarie Costandius

Opening up Spaces for Social Transformation: Critical Citizenship Education in a Post-Conflict South African University Context.

In post-conflict countries such as South Africa, some university students to know anything about the conflict-ridden past. As in other parts of the world that suffered from pasts of discrimination and conflict, it is easier for some students than others to argue like this since an unfortunate past does not concretely affect them any longer. Many students are, however, still benefitting or suffering from a privileged or disadvantaged past, and thus subconscious feelings of guilt or resentment prevail. When triggered by critical citizenship education, some students seem to want to avoid confronting issues. Such avoidance, however, can perpetuate and worsen the existing gap between social differences and/or academic performance. Against this background a critical citizenship module was included into a Visual Communication Design curriculum at a university in South Africa. Through fostering social justice, the module constructs a safe environment where historical and current realities can be unravelled. It also allows for dealing with these issues through art and design – a process that triggers the imagination and hence involves participants to see and experience that which cannot necessarily be seen or experienced in any other way. Through written reflections and interviews the project involved students, lecturers and high school learners in a township to whom art was taught by university students. Results showed that a less hierarchical and more self-motivated approach to critical citizenship education in art, which becomes part of the formal curriculum, results in addressing some of the avoidance and difficulties that were experienced earlier.

The Role of South African Educational Institutions in Re-engaging the Socially Transformative Potential of Art

This article argues that much of established art production and reception in South Africa operates in ways which detract from the critical emancipatory potential of art and cultural production. It is argued that art can be a critical and democratic tool, in as far as it might work against or outside of established institutions which are invariably enlisted in the service of maintaining the status quo. The article is a partisan call to promote socially engaged art production, and, in order to facilitate this, for the radical transformation of educational institutions. Existing educational institutional practices which seek to engage society through art practice are considered. These examples might shed light on the workings of institutionalized power and open up possibilities for thinking about more democratic and inclusive modes of cultural production, which are not necessarily translatable to the established ‘art world’.

Stumbling over the First Hurdle? Exploring Notions of Critical Citizenship

In South Africa the legacy of apartheid still lingers. It is most evident in the income disparity between white and black populations. The mean income of South African blacks (here the term “black” does not include those of colored [mixed race] or Indian descent) has increased at a greater rate in real terms since 1994 compared to other ethnic groups in the country. Nonetheless, the mean expenditure per black household is still approximately five times lower than that of a white household (Ozler 2007). Whilst a single measure cannot hold the complexity of the lived experience of a nation, it remains a fair indicator of the continuing economic disparity.

Using Art as a Medium to Enhance Social Responsibility and Citizenship

Abstract The aim of this research is to consider the impact of a Service-Learning module aiming at enhancing social responsibility and citizenship by using art as a medium for learning and reflection. It involves an explicit and designed programme that includes Socratic discussions and self-reflection projects through art. Action research was used as a methodology, ensuring that the whole class and the researcher were involved in the research process. The results of the project demonstrated that art is an effective medium to address sensitive issues because it functions on a symbolic and metaphorical level. Art that uses metaphors involves participants both consciously and sub-consciously and encourages possibilities for a diversity of interpretations.

#FeesMustFall and decolonising the curriculum: Stellenbosch University students’ and lecturers’ reactions

In South African higher education institutions, the student protests of 2015–2016 called for the decolonisation of higher education spaces and equal access to these spaces. We collected data from students and lecturers over the period of one year in order to better understand the reactions of students and lecturers and the effects the protests had on their experiences. Perspectives of affective theory, decolonisation and social justice theories were used. It was discovered that the protests had a great affective impact on participants. Strong emotions and beliefs affected the relationships between students and lecturers and African centrality was suggested as a framework for curriculum change. Some settler perspectives emerged and polarisation was evident. It is our hope that lecturers could use this research to assist them in decolonising their spaces of teaching and learning.

The "human colour" crayon : investigating the attitudes and perceptions of learners regarding race and skin colour

Some coloured and black learners in South Africa use a light orange or pink crayon to represent themselves in art. Many learners name this colour “human colour” or “skin colour”. This is troublesome, because it could reflect exclusionary ways of representing race in images and language. This case study, conducted with two schools in the Western Cape, investigated Grade 3 learners’ attitudes and perceptions regarding race and skin colour through art processes and discussion. The aim was to promote critical engagement with race in Foundation Phase educational contexts. Suggestions include changing the language used to describe skin colour, just recognition and representation of races in educational resources and the promotion of critical citizenship education. This research indicates the need to create practical curriculum guidelines to discuss race issues in the South African classroom.

Investigating "othering" in visual arts spaces of learning

In the political, social, cultural and economic context of South Africa, higher education spaces provide fertile ground for social research. This case study explored “othered” identities in the Department of Visual Arts of Stellenbosch University. Interviews with students and lecturers revealed interesting and controversial aspects in terms of their experiences in the Department of Visual Arts. Theoretical perspectives such as “othering”, symbolic racism, the racialised body and visual art theory were used to interpret these experiences. It was found that “othering” because of indirect racism and language or economic circumstances affects students’ creative expression. Causes of “othering” experiences should be investigated in order to promote necessary transformation within the visual arts and within higher education institutions.

Moderating emotional dimensions of learning in a visual arts curriculum through critical citizenship education

This research explored the emotional dimensions of learning within the ambit of social transformation and critical citizenship in a visual arts programme at South African higher education institution. Focussing longitudinally on student learning experiences, the study generated data through interviews with and reflective writing of art students and their lecturers over three consecutive years. Results show that the facilitation of social transformation through critical citizenship education in visual arts involves processes of moving beyond stagnating in emotional reactions towards rational reactions. The aim to rationalise caused both art students and their lecturers to refrain from intellectualising emotions as emotion is a crucial part of being human. It appeared that remnants of conservatism, self-preservation and survival may have resulted in actions stemming from historical and societal preoccupations. Results also suggest that critical citizenship education appeals to both emotional and rational actions of art students and that moving towards rationality in visual arts curricula may increasingly moderate or correct the emotional part of arts education.

Reflecting on critical citizenship in critical times

After the first democratic elections in South Africa 22 years ago, people were in general optimistic and could imagine a better future for all. This hope slowly faded over time for many young people. Only 15% of undergraduate students and 21% of master’s students in South Africa at higher education institutions complete their studies (Mtshali 2013). According to Ramphele (in John, 2013), students are accepted into universities, but the adjustment and demands of higher education are unattainable for most students because of differences in primary and secondary school educational standards. This is one of the most fundamental issues with which higher education in South Africa is dealing. The year 2015 was a time of turmoil with the student uprisings at universities in South Africa. The previous time that so many learners protested was 1976 in Soweto to demand accessible education. With the FeesMustFall protest, the students were successful with their demand of a 0% increase in university fees. The issues with which students are struggling are complex and do not only involve financial struggles but an insufficient school system. The protests continued and students also demanded decolonisation and transformation of higher education institutions. Some of the critique is aimed at how education is presented: in a Eurocentric manner that marginalises the African voice, with students often being taught in their second and third language. It is a complex situation that touches on various aspects that also have roots in the colonial and apartheid past. We are all entangled in our problems in South Africa. Braidotti (2013:122, 150), however, argues that this is not a time for nostalgia, but a time for finding sustainable alternatives and for extending “social horizons of hope”. Frick L, Trafford V, Fourie-Malherbe M (eds) 2016. Being Scholarly. Stellenbosch: SUN PRESS

Exploring the transformative potential of collaborative art projects on the Stellenbosch University campus

CITATION: Costandius, E. & Perold, K. 2015. Exploring the transformative potential of collaborative art projects on the Stellenbosch University campus. South African Journal of Higher Education, 29(6):206–225, doi:10.20853/29-6-534.