Research Colloquium: Silenced Voices: Diversity and Social Justice in Higher Education Call for Papers (invited scholars)

29-30 January 2015, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Conveners: Frans Kamsteeg (VUA/Organization Sciences, Amsterdam, Netherlands), André Keet (UFS, IRSJ, South Africa), and Charles Alexander (UCLA, Los Angeles, US).

Background

It is acknowledged, globally, that higher education institutions are complex organisations, with complicated systems and surfaces on which the intricate social dynamics amongst a growing body of heterogeneous peoples, knowledges and experiences, and between people and structures are played out. This heterogeneity is, at one and the same time the energy of and condition for the academic project, and, the major challenge to which universities have to respond. Nevertheless, universities have been hesitant in taking up this challenge, and tend to convert it into diversity management discourses, thus effectively silencing diversity. Working against this trend, the colloquium wants to contribute to critical studies on diversity in higher education that pursue  insightful, innovative, interpretive schemes on which bases more socially just academic policies and practices can emerge.

  

Comparison and interdisciplinary approach

This colloquium  will explore how scholars from various disciplines engage in studying the patterns of silenced voices that dovetails with a range of discriminatory categories, and differences. These studies may focus on curriculum, pedagogy, communication, organization and institutional culture.  We welcome contributions from engaged scholars who support comparative and interdisciplinary approach to share the results of their work, the way they disseminate their views and make them available to both the scientific and the broader community. The organizers – researchers from UFS, VUA, and UCLA – have joined forces in studying diversity in settings as different from one another as the Netherlands, South Africa and the USA.

Themes and proposals

We invite abstracts of no more than 400 words on one of the following themes:

1. Institutional culture

2. Students’ experiences.

3. Diversity strategies, policies and practices.

4. Inclusion and exclusion: HEIs as communities.

5. Transformation and human rights.

7. Situated identities: students, scholars, managers.

8. Researchers’ responsibilities

9. Teaching-learning and research

10. Migration studies

However, we also welcome contributions in other themes not mentioned here. Contributions may be theoretical, methodological, empirical and/or policy driven.

Organization and Outcomes

The colloquium is a co-effort between VU, Amsterdam, UFS, Bloemfontein, and UCLA, Los Angeles. It will be held at the VUA campus, Amsterdam, in cooperation with VUA Diversity Desk (Wim Haan).

The outcomes of the colloquium will be:

·       Sharing of and engagement with research papers

·       Peer collaboration and collaborative learning

·         An increased awareness of contemporary themes in diversity in higher education.

·       Special edition (journal) and/or edited compilation (book)

Deadline

Please submit your abstract ASAP (preferably before 1.12.2014) to: keeta@ufs.ac.za, frans.kamsteeg@vu.nl and CAlexander@college.ucla.edu

Keynote speakers at the Colloquium will be:

Melissa Steyn

Professor of Critical Diversity Studies

Wits Centre for Diversity Studies (WiCDS)

University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

M. Belinda Tucker

Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences

Vice Provost, Institute of American Cultures

University of California, Los Angeles

Karen van Oudenhoven-v.d. Zee

Professor of Intercultural Competence

Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences

VU University Amsterdam 

Social justice and PLA technique in higher education presentations

The project meeting in Stellenbosch gave an opportunity to look at, and evaluate theoretical and methodological frameworks for the project. To equip the project members to be able to reflect on the research questions Vivienne Bozalek gave a presentation on Nancy Fraser's idea on Social Justice as a foundation for participatory parity.  




Extending the theoretical frame work and to introduce the members to the discussion on research methodology Vivienne Bozalek went on to introduce the project members to Participatory Learning Action techniques used in research in the Higher Education sector.

Second face-to-face meeting Stellenbosch 18 - 19 September 2014

On the 18th and 19th September we had our second face-to-face project meeting for the Participatory Parity project. It was a great opportunity for existing project members to re-meet and for new members to be introduced. It was also an occasion for further development of the project specifications started at the first face-to-face project meeting in April 2014.

The objectives of the second face-to-face meeting were as follows:

1. Overview of project
2. Theoretical framework
3. Methodological framework
4. Evaluation framework
5. Virtual communication and collaboration
6. Plans for data collection across institutions
7. Training on data collection methods
8. Ethical clearance
9. Way forward

The meeting was held at the conference centre Mont Fleur, situated in very scenic surroundings just outside of Stellenbosch. The session was attended by 16 members from 7 universities. During the two days a way forward for the project was discussed, mainly aiming at refining and preparing research questions for ethical clearance.
The project group was also introduced to and trained in three Participatory Learning Action techniques: River of Life, Institutional Mapping and Photo Voice. After the introduction each of these techniques were discussed to evaluate strengths, weaknesses and suitability for the project. One of the key aspects is how well these serve a research techniques to support Nancy Fraser's theoretical social justice framework for participatory parity. Later posts will go more into details about each technique and more details about the theoretical framework will be presented.

After being pampered for two days the project group left after lunch Friday afternoon. A follow up meeting has been planned for 23 October at the University of the Western Cape.

Attendees at the Participatory Parity project meeting September 2014      Photo supplied by Vivienne Bozalek

  

From top left:

Jakob Pedersen, University of Cape Town

Valile Dwayi, Walter Sisulu University 

Anne Edwards, Oxford University

Veronica Mitchell, University of Cape Town

Daniela Gachago, Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Vivienne Bozalek, University of the Western Cape

James Garraway, Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Lindsey Clowes, University of the Western Cape 

Pam Sykes

Roshini Pillay, University of Johannesburg

Dorothee Holscher, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Brenda Leibowitz, University of Johannesburg

Michael Rowe, University of the Western Cape

Berenice Sauls, University of the Western Cape 

Not in photo:

Birgit Schreiber, University of the Western Cape

Abdullah Bayat, University of the Western Cape

Dick Ng'ambi, University of Cape Town

Reflecting by the fire - Veronica Mitchell, Daniela Gachago, Dorothee Holscher and Berenice Sauls (Photo: Birgit Schreiber)

Welcome to the Participatory Parity in Higher Education Project blog!

This blog is designed to collect information on this project, document face to face and online meetings and share some of the research outputs gathered during the duration of the project. The project itself is a collaboration of 25 academics, both local and international, places in differently positioned institutions and teaching different subjects, but connected by one common objective and interest: to introduce more socially just pedagogies into teaching and learning in Higher Education.