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An Analysis of the Ideological Contributions of #Feesmustfall

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An Analysis of the Ideological Contributions of #Feesmustfall An analysis of the ideological interventions during #FeesMustFall: A Case study of the University of the Witwatersrand Fiona Tafadzwa Chawana Student number: 676254 Supervisor: Dr Ufuoma Akpojivi A dissertation submitted to University of the Witwatersrand in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts - Research. NOVEMBER 1, 2019 UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND Declaration I, Fiona Tafadzwa Chawana (student number, 676254), a student registered for a Master of Arts by dissertation in the academic year of 2019 hereby declares the following: I am aware that plagiarism (the use of someone else’s work without their permission and/or without acknowledging the original source) is wrong. I confirm that the work submitted for assessment for the above-mentioned degree is my own unaided work except where I have explicitly indicated otherwise. I have followed the required conventions in referencing the thoughts and ideas of others. I understand that the University of the Witwatersrand may take disciplinary action against me if there is a belief that this is not my own unaided work or that I have failed to acknowledge the source of the ideas in my writing. Signature: F.Chawana Date: 20/01/2020 i Abstract This research set out to investigate the ideological contributions of the various actors during the #FeesMustFall protests in 2015 and 2016 at the University of the Witwatersrand. The research identified the ideological actors as the student activists, academic staff, University management and the South African government. The research identified the ideological contributors as key towards understanding the social movement ideologies emanating from the movement in a bid to map out the demands, the different approaches to free education and existing contestations within the movement. This highlights the significance of this study as it situates discussions that occurred during the protests on social media under the hashtag #FeesMustFall and interviews with the ideological actors to understand their ideological positions and their desired paths towards social change in higher education in South Africa. The research utilised a case study approach to narrow down the research site to the University of the Witwatersrand. Thematic analysis was conducted on data collected through semi- structured interviews with representatives from the four groups of actors. Additionally, a discourse analysis of tweets from the @WitsFMF Twitter page was conducted. Document analysis was further conducted to understand government positions on free education before, during and after the protests, as well as to understand the student proposal on how to achieve social change in higher education. The research found that there were ideological contestations based on the different interpretations of free education and the position that each actor occupied, which in turn influenced the different solutions that each actor proposed. The study also established that decolonial education played a critical role in achieving social change in higher education and the broader South African society. Furthermore, the study found that there were political contestations within the protests which led to splits in the actor groups, as well as the politicisation of free education. In line with the utilisation of social media by the students, the study found contesting narratives and representations of protests that mirrored existing tensions between protesters, government and broadcasters. ii Declaration ........................................................................................................................................... i Abstract ............................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................. v Abbreviations ..................................................................................................................................... vi List of Appendices ............................................................................................................................ vii Chapter 1 ................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Research problem .......................................................................................................................... 3 1.2.1 Research Aim ......................................................................................................................... 4 1.2.2. Research Objectives .............................................................................................................. 4 1.2.3. Research Questions ............................................................................................................... 4 1.2.3.1 Main research question ................................................................................................... 4 1.2.3.2 Sub research question...................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Research Methodology and Design .............................................................................................. 5 1.3.1 Research Design ..................................................................................................................... 5 1.3.2 Population and Sampling Method .......................................................................................... 5 1.3.3 Data Collection Methods ....................................................................................................... 5 1.3.4 Data Analysis ......................................................................................................................... 6 1.4 Significance of the study ............................................................................................................... 6 1.5 Delimitations of the study ............................................................................................................. 6 1.6 Structure of the thesis .................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 2 ................................................................................................................................................. 8 2.1 Literature Review and Theoretical Framework ............................................................................ 8 2.1.1 Conceptual analysis of social movements and digital activism ............................................. 8 2.1.2 Social Movement Strategies: Framing and Ideology ........................................................... 20 2.1.3 Unpacking the co-relationship between protest and social change ...................................... 26 2.1.3.1 The place of agency in the fight for social change ........................................................ 31 2.1.4 History of protest in South Africa’s Higher Education ........................................................ 34 2.1.5 Birth of the FeesMustFall Movement .................................................................................. 39 2.2 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................................... 43 2.2.1 Communication Power Theory ............................................................................................ 43 2.2.2 Black Consciousness ............................................................................................................ 47 2.3 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 53 Chapter 3 ............................................................................................................................................... 54 3.1 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 54 3.1.1 Research approach ............................................................................................................... 54 3.1.2 Research paradigm ............................................................................................................... 56 iii 3.1.3 Research design.................................................................................................................... 59 3.2 Method of data collection ........................................................................................................... 60 3.2.1 Sampling .............................................................................................................................. 60 3.2.2 Semi-structured interviews .................................................................................................. 63 3.2.3 Document analysis ............................................................................................................... 64 3.2.4 Online ethnography .............................................................................................................. 65 3.4 Methods of data analysis ............................................................................................................
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