Reitumetse Obakeng Mabokela

The Impact of Race, Gender, and Culture in South African Higher Education

South Africa’s government initiatives, such as the Commission on Gender Equality, the National Gender Forum, and the Office on the Status of Women, support efforts by its institutions of higher education to become more inclusive and equitable. Nevertheless, there remain fundamental obstacles to the full participation of South African women in the management structures of academe. This article examines the obstacles of race, gender, and culture to the professional advancement of Black female scholars and administrators in South African institutions of higher education. Given the documented historical and continuing underrepresentation of South African women in this sector, it is important to understand their experiences in order to facilitate the establishment of institutional environments that will be supportive to their professional endeavors. Prior to 1994, the law did not protect Black South Africans. Those who were not White lived in a country that persecuted, segregated, and discriminated against them on the basis of their racial classification. Apartheid included denying job and educational opportunities and limiting access to housing, health services, transportation, and economic opportunities on the basis of gender and race. As Sisonke Msimang asserts, racism under apartheid was both informal (i.e., an everyday practice) and formal (e.g., laws designating areas where Blacks could live, banning interracial mixing, and barring

'We Cannot Find Qualified Blacks': Faculty diversification programmes at South African universities

The racial and gender composition of faculty at historically White South African universities does not reflect the distribution of Blacks and women in the larger society. While historically White universities have invested some effort to diversify the racial composition of their students, they have not shown similar enthusiasm for faculty recruitment and employment programmes. This article examines policies and programmes at the University of Cape Town, an English-language university, and the University of Stellenbosch, an Afrikaans-language university, that have been implemented to diversify the racial composition of their faculty. The article specifically assesses two case studies, the Equal Opportunity Employment Policy at the University of Cape Town, and the Staff Broadening Policy at the University of Stellenbosch, to determine their underlying assumptions, their overall objectives, and their effectiveness in recruiting and retaining Black academics. The article concludes with an examination of affirmative action and its relevance in addressing the vestiges of past discrimination in the South African higher education sector. This concluding discussion draws on US literature on affirmative action and insights that may be drawn from the US experience.

''Donkeys of the University'': Organizational culture and its impact on South African women administrators

This article examines workplace experiences of six senior womenadministrators in South African institutions of higher education.Given that women have historically been under-represented andcontinue to be under-represented in the higher education sector,it is important to gain insights into their experiences and toinform the process of creating institutional environments thatare supportive of their professional endeavors.

Organizational Culture and Its Impact on African American Teachers

This article provides a descriptive analysis of how the organizational culture of schools and the cultural values that African American teachers bring into the school affect the professional experience of these teachers in schools where they are in the minority. The culture within an organization strongly influences how minorities will be treated by their European American counterparts. Because the majority establishes the work norms, there becomes a uniformity of rules and regulations with which people of color are expected to comply. Strong organizational cultures provide cues on how to behave and establish reinforcing expectations to influence organizational members.

Culturally relevant schools : creating positive workplace relationships and preventing intergroup differences

The authors provide teachers and school leaders concrete suggestions to address workplace relationships; to respond to intergroup conflict; to create positive exchanges among different ethnic groups of teachers; and to create a strategic process to address diversity issues.

‘Color‐blind’ and ‘color‐conscious’ leadership: A case study of desegregated suburban schools in the USA

Leadership and diversity are invariably connected, as US schools are under pressure to educate an increasingly diverse population. Creating an inclusive school requires school leaders to respond to any intergroup conflict that may occur among an ethnically‐diverse group of schools’ participants. The study on which this article is based examined European–American and African–American administrators’ responses to intergroup conflict arising from cultural incongruities in desegregated suburban US schools. The researchers employed intergroup theory to understand how both African–American and European–American school leaders perceived and negotiated sources of intergroup conflict and how this affected their potential for creating an inclusive school environment.

Reflections of Black Women Faculty in South African Universities

The qualitative study on which this article is based, examines the experiences of Black, junior-rank female faculty in South Africa universities. The data demonstrate that, while gender discrimination is a global phenomenon that affects many women in the professoriate and while gender inequities are common across all racial groups in South Africa, the experiences of Black women faculty highlight the overlap of race and gender and the multiple ways in which these women scholars continue to be marginalized.

Hear Our Voices! Women and the Transformation of South African Higher Education.

The study on which this article is based examined the experiences of Black women faculty and administrators in South African institutions of higher education. The three cases presented in this article explore challenges that women scholars have had to address within the context of a rapidly changing sociopolitical environment, which in turn has influenced the transformation of higher education. The article seeks to understand how these emergent scholars have managed to survive and succeed in this environment. The racial and gender composition of faculty at South African institutions of higher education does not reflect the distribution of Blacks and women in the larger society. When the South African National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE) released its report on the condition of its educational system in 1996, the commissioners raised concerns about the pervasive racial and gender disparities so deeply entrenched at all levels.1 South African institutions of higher education have responded assertively to concerns about racial disparities, however, the same cannot be said for gender issues. Although the universities have expressed some concerns about gender disparities, these concerns have yet to be translated into positive policies and programs that will improve the academic experiences of female students and the professional development of female faculty and administrators. This article examines the experiences of Black women faculty and administrators in two institutions of higher education in South Africa. The institutions highlighted in this study include a historically Black university formerly designated for Africans and a historically Black university formerly designated for Indians. Though these institutions emerge from divergent historical backgrounds, strong threads of commonality run among them in the professional experiences of their female faculty members and administrators. The women whose cases are the focus of this study represent an emergent generation of leaders who have recently entered the higher education scene in South Africa. Throughout that nations higher education history, White males, even at historically Black universities, occupy the overwhelming majority of senior academic and administrative positions. In cases where Blacks have been appointed, those appointments were often offered to Black males. At each institution, a disproportionate percentage of Black women are overrepresented in the lowest academic and administrative ranks as junior lecturers and lecturers.2 The article begins with a historical overview of the condition and status of women in South Africa higher education to provide a context and framework for understanding the current position of female scholars and administrators. The remainder of the article is devoted to exploration of the experiences, insights, and visions of female faculty members and administrators. I specifically explore the experience of three female scholars-one senior university administrator and two lecturers-paying particular attention to issues that these emergent leaders have had to address within the context of a rapidly changing political environment that in turn has influenced transformation of the higher education system. In such an environment, this article asks and attempts to explain, how have these women managed to survive and succeed? HISTORICAL OVERVIEW According to the 1996 NCHE report, the distribution patterns of faculty and administrators in South African higher education do not reflect the demographic profile of the larger society. Indeed, the system is highly polarized by race and gender, with the more prestigious positions occupied predominantly by White males (Mabokela,, 2000a). Blacks and women tend to be relegated to the lower rungs of the employment ladder, with a disproportionate number holding service positions as opposed to academic or administrative positions. Gender inequities are similarly pervasive in the allocation of key administrative positions and permanent teaching and research positions. …

Intergroup Differences and their Impact on African American Teachers

This article examines how intergroup differences within suburban desegregated schools affect the professional experiences of African American teachers. The culture within an organization strongly influences how European Americans will treat their minority counterparts. Because the majority establishes the work norms, a uniform set of rules and regulations by which people of color are expected to comply exists. Tensions of intergroup conflict become apparent among groups of teachers if only one or a few teachers of color are present in the entire school. Thus, African American teachers in these contexts are subjected to performance pressures, bear the burden of representing their race, and become role entrapped.

Introduction: Leadership and Diversity: Creating Inclusive Schools

The coeditors and the contributors would like to acknowledge various people who played an important role in putting together this special issue. First, we would like to thank Jennifer Barratt for her endless energy in editing multiple revisions. She was a wonderful organizer and kept us centered. Another person is Bill Ashworth, who willingly took on this project in addition to his other duties. He spent considerable time reading and rereading work and provided constructive feedback. We also would like to thank members of the Urban Advisory Group, who we asked to read articles and give us their feedback. In addition, we would like to thank Rosie Moody, Jason Walton, and James Guthrie for their support in asking us to put together this special issue. They were helpful in getting us information and provided a supportive environment for our work. Finally, we also would all like to thank our family members and friends, who put up with our long hours, provided support, and listened endlessly to our concerns. Requests for reprints should be sent to Jean A. Madsen, Educational Administration and Human Resource Development 4226 TAMU Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843. PEABODY JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, 77(1), 1–6 Copyright