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Title Engaging the university in Africa for democracy: from political hothouse to training ground for citizenship
Full text http://ahero.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=cshe&action=viewtitle&id=cshe_808
Date 2011
Author(s) Luescher-Mamashela, Thierry
Abstract How can the university contribute better to democracy in general, and the cultivation of democratic values and practices among students? Previous studies in the African context have shown that higher education&rsquo - s contribution to support for democracy is marginal (Mattes & - Mughogho 2010). In contrast, survey data from the universities of Cape Town, Dar es Salaam and Nairobi along with national survey data from the Afrobarometer show that students at these universities are not necessarily less supportive of democracy than their less educated peers and respective mass publics - however, students are far more critical of and impatient with the performance of the existing democratic order and far more engaged and politically active in civil society than non-students. The surveys find that these universities continue to offer a privileged space for critical political engagement and activity in these countries. While the findings indicate a potential hothouse effect, they also suggest ways of transforming the hothouse conditions that African universities can serve as training grounds for democratic citizenship.
Subject(s) Democracy, Student Aspirations, Student Politics, Student Activism
Coverage Students
Language English
Type of publication Conference Paper (Not Peer Reviewed)
Format Pdf
Repository Cape Town - AHERO, University of Western Cape
Added to C-A: 2013-12-10;09:15:14