A hermeneutic inquiry of culture as development at two higher education institutions

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT : This dissertation is a hermeneutic inquiry of culture as development at two higher educationinstitutions. From an interpretive perspective, I employ Gadamer's philosophicalhermeneutics that relates to historical consciousness, interpretation and understanding. Iconduct a conceptual and documentary analysis of relevant institutional policies tounderstand how the University of Namibia (UNAM) and Stellenbosch University (SU)articulate culture as development in their respective environments.From a thorough literature review, I argue that development is a form of culture, that is,culture as development. There are many meanings of culture as development, and since it isdifficult to work with a large set of meanings, I construct four recurring meanings, namely:knowledge, history and tradition, human development, and social and economictransformation. These meanings serve as a theoretical framework to analyse relevant policydocuments.Findings suggest that the meanings of my theoretical framework are addressed to someextent in the relevant policies, and that such documents conform to my theoreticalframework. Further, the concept of culture is complicated, complex, ambiguous andcontested. Although culture is key for development, there is very little clarification in theliterature what culture as development means. Similarly, there is no single meaning ofdevelopment in higher education, which makes the concept also contested. Development inhigher education is perceived as relating to human development which is concerned morewith non-instrumental facets such as autonomous choices, freedom, opportunities, andstandard of living of people.There is very little research conducted on the culture of UNAM, and it is stated it has adevelopmental culture. In the context of Namibian higher education there is reference tohuman resource development instead of human development. SU, on the other hand, is silenton its history in its Institutional Intent and Strategy. However, SU acknowledges its historicalties with the people from who and communities from which it arose. Both institutions referto the concept of hope. UNAM views itself as a beacon of hope while SU adopted a pedagogy of hope which highlights knowledge pioneering scholarship, research andteaching, and generating hope and optimism from and within Africapedagogy of hope which highlights knowledge pioneering scholarship, research andteaching, and generating hope and optimism from and within Africa.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University