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An Analysis of UCT Community's Perspectives of Tactics Used in the Fallist Movement Laura Isdahl SIT Graduate Institute - Study Abroad

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An Analysis of UCT Community's Perspectives of Tactics Used in the Fallist Movement Laura Isdahl SIT Graduate Institute - Study Abroad SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study Abroad SIT Digital Collections Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection SIT Study Abroad Spring 2016 Student Protests at UCT: An Analysis of UCT Community's Perspectives of Tactics Used in the Fallist Movement Laura Isdahl SIT Graduate Institute - Study Abroad Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection Part of the Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Social Psychology and Interaction Commons, and the Television Commons Recommended Citation Isdahl, Laura, "Student Protests at UCT: An Analysis of UCT Community's Perspectives of Tactics Used in the Fallist Movement" (2016). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 2365. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/2365 This Unpublished Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the SIT Study Abroad at SIT Digital Collections. It has been accepted for inclusion in Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection by an authorized administrator of SIT Digital Collections. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT PROTESTS AT UCT: AN ANALYSIS OF UCT COMMUNITY'S PERSPECTIVES OF TACTICS USED IN THE FALLIST MOVEMENT Laura Isdahl Academic Director: Stewart Chirova Advisor: Shifra Jacobsen Gustavus Adolphus College English with Writing Emphasis Major South Africa: Cape Town Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for South Africa: Multiculturalism and Human Rights, SIT Study Abroad Spring 2016 Abstract This study investigates the opinions of Rhodes Must Fall from the perspective of various members of the UCT community. Violence has been a term used to describe the tactics used in protests during the Fallist movement. I argue against condemning the students based on this reasoning, citing Fanon, Robins, among others. Through six interviews and observations, I gathered different narratives and accounts of the Fallist events at UCT. This study includes perspectives from activists involved in the Fallist movement, other forms of activism, and some who oppose the movement as a whole. It seeks to gain different narratives than are portrayed in mainstream media outlets. Many people across campus felt excluded from the movement, and Rhodes Must Fall has entered a period of question of how best to achieve their ambitious goals, but also be inclusive and avoid being part of oppressive systems themselves. Analysis of positionality has led to the argument that exclusion comes from conflicts within personal identity. Different factions of Fallism have emerged, as people have expressed different priorities for the future of student activism. In my findings, I argue that Rhodes Must Fall protests left many people feeling excluded, which was often a result of aspects of their identity, but ultimately it shook up the status quo and has led to significant changes for all members of the UCT community. Isdahl ii Acknowledgements To complete this research, it took a lot of patience and guidance from people I look up to. Thank you to Stewart Chirova for his quotable words of wisdom that always seem to calm me down. Thank you to Thabisa Dyonaise for always bringing a smile to my face. Thank you to Emma Arogunde for the constant stream of helpful advice, articles, and encouragement. Thank you to Shifra Jacobson, my advisor, who helped encourage me, give me feedback, and validate my ideas. The SIT staff's phenomenal teamwork and support have made my time in Cape Town something I will never forget. I appreciate their intentional efforts to maximize my learning. I want to thank those who I interviewed -- for the time, the conversation, and the willingness to meet with a stranger on short notice during a busy time of year. I am entirely grateful to these men and women. Without them, my project would not exist. Their insights, comments, and different perspectives challenged me to rethink my own beliefs and never stop questioning. Finally, I would like to thank the student activists at UCT and across South Africa for inspiring me. The passion, tenacity, and love that embodies each one of these people brings me hope and excitement for the future. I have learned so much from their strength and fearlessness. I hope to someday embrace the traits these activists display daily. Isdahl iii Table of Contents: Introduction .............................................................................................................................1 1. What is your topic? .................................................................................................1 2. What did you set out to study? ...............................................................................3 3. Structure of Paper ...................................................................................................4 4. Limitations ...............................................................................................................5 Literature Review ....................................................................................................................7 1. Colonialists are the Origin of Violence ..................................................................7 2. Dismantling the Structure through Violent means ..............................................8 3. Tactics as Retaliation from Structural Violence .................................................9 4. Black Consciousness Leads to Violence ...............................................................10 Methodology ...........................................................................................................................12 Research Findings and Analysis ..........................................................................................16 1. Exclusion from Rhodes Must Fall ........................................................................16 2. Identity and Openness to Rhodes Must Fall tactics ...........................................21 3. Progress has been Made.........................................................................................30 Ethical Reflexivity .................................................................................................................33 Recommendations .................................................................................................................35 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................36 Glossary of Terms .................................................................................................................39 Appendix ................................................................................................................................40 Bibliography............................................................................................................................42 Isdahl iv Introduction 1. What is your topic? In the past year, student activism has erupted and unified universities across South Africa, creating drama, disruptions, and ultimately change. News coverage has followed the disruptions bubbling up on all the major universities, which even included a mass shut down. Each month, more protests have happened and new demands are brought to administration to improve conditions for black and underprivileged students. Teaching in Afrikaans, colonialist statues and building names, increases in tuition fees, outsourcing, lack of housing and more have been hot topics for protests across South Africa. In the recent weeks and months, more protests, occupations, and demonstrations have occurred, often creating disruptions on campuses and resulting in damages to property, but also to students' bodies in a backlash of the fight for justice. i. Historical Context Student activism has a huge legacy of resisting dominating power structures in South Africa. The Soweto uprisings of 1976 are a well-known moment for students, but: "the participation of young people in the liberation struggle preceded the student uprising of June 16, 1976" ("Youth and the National Liberation Struggle", 2016, par. 1). In the 1930s, many of the most famous leaders of the anti-Apartheid emerged. These youth leaders emerged as a result of a greater access to education: "Many young people received an education, while their parents may have belonged to a generation in which education was not considered a key to a good life" ("Youth and the National Liberation Struggle", 2016, par. 6). The exposure they had to the injustices of the greater South Africa led them to take powerful stances in the upcoming decades. Pivotal moments such as the Soweto uprising brought about significant change and started a chain reaction of resistance across the country. It also led to a change of tactics of protesters to more aggressive styles that pushed along the movement. People were outraged at the contrast of police officers shooting running children, and their only retaliation being throwing stones and sticks. Tactics changed "In the rural areas, [where] school riots turned violent when students damaged school property. There were student arrests and court sentences of fines or corporal punishment," ("Youth and the National Liberation Struggle", 2016, par. 18). More and more pressure was put on the Apartheid government by student disruptions, especially when they involved damaging property. The students proved to be a force to be reckoned with. Their boldness (and the violent backlash
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