Unfinished transformation: (re)thinking democratic South Africa from recent mobilizations for decolonization

• Grant number: 23/06614-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Anthropology - Anthropology of Afro-Brazilian Populations
• Principal Investigator: Laura Moutinho da Silva
• Grantee: Luana Piveta de Moura Luz
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This master project aims to ethnographically interrogate current debates and mobilizations around the transformation and decolonization effort of higher education in South Africa. I hope to approach the point of view of black students, protagonists of recent demands, such as the RhodesMustFall movement, which has also been strongly anchored in an intersectional perspective. Besides scrutinizing a debate dear to the country, about the role of South African universities, this theme will allow me to situate the narrative disputes around the country's young democracy and the neoliberal policies adopted after the democratic transition. More specifically, I aim to research this theme at Stellenbosch University, founded in the colonial period by Afrikaners and, comparatively, to explore this movement at the University of the Western Cape, founded during apartheid for colored students. The hypothesis of this research proposal is that the narratives in dispute also articulate differentiated projects of nationhood. I also intend to ethnographically interrogate the categories of democracy and neoliberalism, in order to observe how the policies adopted have impacted social relations on these campuses.