Coming to UCT: Black students, transformation and discourses of race

Bodies out of place: Black queer students negotiating identity at the University of Cape Town

“…These policies have effectively increased the number of students of colour; however, they have also been met with intense backlash. This backlash has taken the form of discourses of reverse racism and lowered academic standards, which construct black students as undeserving of their place at university (Daniels and Damons 2011;Kessi and Cornell 2016).…”

“…Within these discourses black students are seen as lacking the attributes necessary to succeed and only being present to fulfill a quota in the university (Daniels and Damons 2011;Kessi and Cornell 2016). They are constructed as "the problem" rather than as young people claiming their right to education (Kessi 2013).…”

“…Internationally (Johnson-Ahorlu 2012;Harper 2009;Phoenix 2009) and locally research (De Beer, Smith and Jansen 2009; Higham 2012) shows how these narratives are internalised by black students which may lead to low self-esteem, alienation and potentially impact academic performance negatively. These narratives have made students question their abilities and the validity of their place at university (Daniels and Damons 2011;Kessi and Cornell 2016). Young black women from Stellenbosch University explained how such spaces make them feel like they are seen solely for their racial identity and not just as students (Daniels and Damons 2011).…”

“…Young black women from Stellenbosch University explained how such spaces make them feel like they are seen solely for their racial identity and not just as students (Daniels and Damons 2011). Similarly, black students at UCT commented that when they arrived at university it was the first time that they "felt black" due to the negative narratives surrounding them (Kessi and Cornell 2016).…”

“…"Feeling black" as opposed to "being black" narrates how other people perceive black students as a result of racialized transformation discourses (Kessi and Cornell 2016). Due to these perceptions, black students felt that white students did not see them as academic equals and thus their contributions to group work were undermined and challenged; they were not favoured as work partners, and other students were shocked when they excelled academically (Kessi and Cornell 2016).…”