Exploring the tension between the discourses of affirmative action and the knowledge economy

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa needs to ensure equal opportunity for all to higher education, and given that it alsoneeds to correct the drastic imbalances brought about by apartheid, affirmative action is seen as astrategy to pursue both goals. Affirmative action is comprised of programs and policies that grantfavorable treatment on the basis of race or gender to government-defined 'disadvantagedindividuals.However, affirmative action is not without its own challenges and difficulties. Themain question that this thesis addresses is 'what are the tensions between applying affirmativeaction policies in South African higher education institutions and the demands of a knowledgeeconomy within a globalised world? I argue that though universities need to be moredemographically representative and broaden access to previously disadvantaged individuals byadjusting entry requirements, they cannot compromise on their quality of graduates by adjustingtheir exit criteria in line with racial representivity. That would undermine the very worth of highereducation as a social good, the dignity of the individual graduate, as well as the economic growthof the country. Accusations that affirmative action is merely 'reverse discrimination are refuted by an appeal toRawls's Principle of Difference which holds that policies of inequality can be socially just.Drawing on Charles Taylor and Wally Morrow, I posit that within a democracy, affirmativeaction should be seen as a shared rather than a convergent good for broadening access to qualityeducation. But whereas broadening formal access seems like a legitimate and necessary step toaddress the inherited inequities, the broadening of epistemological access would undermine thevery aims of quality education. Furthermore, I argue that formal access should be driven by thepolitics of difference, but that epistemological access that ensures educational success should bedriven by the politics of equal dignity.In order to see how some of these concepts and policies of affirmative action play out in an actualinstitution, I look at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Here the main debates relating to itsaffirmative action policy are whether demographic representivity is the only outcome forevaluating the success of affirmative action, and whether 'disadvantaged individuals should beselected on criteria other than race. It also considers whether its affirmative action policies could compromise its functioning and ability to supply quality qualifications to the required number ofdisadvantaged individuals.There is no easy and simple answer to whether affirmative action in fact promotes equalopportunity to higher education and equips all South African graduates with the necessary skillsfor a knowledge economy. It would be therefore important to do further research on what nonracebased affirmative action policies might entail while keeping in mind the shifts in the globaleconomy and the need for academic rigor. Furthermore, more longitudinal research needs to bedone on the complex consequences of affirmative action, on both an individual level with issuesof identity and career mobility, and on a broader socio-economic level with issues of economicgrowth and social welfare.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University