University in the rural and rural in the university: examining the heterotopia and production of spaces at the University of Zululand

Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The University of Zululand, a historically black institution, was established by apartheid policies with the intention of segregating black students. It is located in KwaDlangezwa, a village under the Mkhwanazi Traditional Authority whose land was seized in order to build the University. This study's primary objective was to investigate the heterotopic nature of the University and the production of university spaces. The study utilised Henri Lefebvre's spatial triad, Michel Foucault's heterotopia, and Frantz Fanon's wretchedness to accomplish its various objectives. In order to accomplish the stated objectives, the study was carried out in four phases. It was structured as a qualitative case study in which the University, the community, relationships, and students served as distinct analytic units. For data collection, the study employed in-depth semi-structured interviews and gathered pertinent University documents comprising strategic plans, university calendars, and institutional audit reports, videos, and audio recordings, newspaper clips. The first objective was to examine the pre-1994 and post-1994 development of the University of Zululand as an institution of higher education in South Africa and as an idea. Heterotopia was utilised to comprehend the University's ideological conceptions as an idea and a reality. By applying Barnett’s (2010) notions of being and becoming a university, the research was able to enhance heterotopia. Given the circumstances surrounding its creation, it is not surprising that many viewed the University as an apartheid initiative during the University's early years, as was evidenced by the study findings. In the 1980s, a self-reflection exercise led the University to adopt a new identity as an "African University," and after 1994, in a radical reshaping of the higher education landscape, it was redesignated a ‘comprehensive’ institution. The University’s being and becoming mirror societal issues in South Africa. As a heterotopia, the University has always been a site of juxtapositions of contradictory and frequently difficult-to-navigate strata. For the second objective, Henri Lefebvre's spatial triad was utilised to investigate the lived experiences of on-campus students at the University. In order to create new campus cultures, including squatting, on-campus students appropriated and disrupted campus spaces. Students have demonstrated their ability to appropriate university spaces, but they feel powerless because they are unable to fight for improved maintenance of campus housing facilities. Fanon's concept of wretchedness was utilised to analyse off-campus students' lived experiences. Rapid enrolment growth at the University of Zululand has led to the studentification of the host village of KwaDlangezwa and the vast expansion of off-campus housing. Campus accommodation is extremely limited at the University, consequently, a number of students reside in village-provided off-campus housing. Student housing provides proprietors with a source of income. The students at the University of Zululand are wretched of our time, and the apartheid-era core-periphery geographies persist in post-apartheid South Africa. The absence of a formal structure through which off-campus students could collectively express their complaints about off-campus housing marginalises them and renders their struggles invisible. Lastly, the study examined the relationship between the University and the community. The results reveal an antagonistic relationship between the two, as evidenced by the community's protests against the University. Additionally, land disputes have contributed to the strained relationship between the community and the University. This demonstrates the need for calculated and systematic efforts to create connections between the University and its surroundings.

AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Universiteit van Zululand, histories ‘n swart instelling, is gevestig deur middel van apartheitsbeleide met die doel om swart studente te segregeer. Dit is geleë in KwaDlangezwa, ‘n dorpie onder die Mkhwanazi Tradisionele Outoriteit wie se grond in beslag geneem is om die Universiteit te bou. Hierdie studie se primêre oogmerk was om die heterotopiese aard van die Universiteit en die produksie van universiteitsruimtes te ondersoek. Om die studie se verskeie doelwitte te bereik, is Henri Lefebvre's se ruimtelike triade, Michel Foucault se heterotopie en Frantz Fanon's se ellende (“wretchedness”) gebruik. Om die gestelde doelwitte te bereik, is die studie in vier fases uitgevoer. Dit is gestruktureer as ‘n kwalitatiewe studie waarin die Universiteit, die gemeenskap, verhoudings en studente as afsonderlike analitise eenhede gedien het. Vir die insameling van data het die studie in-diepte, semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude versamel, asook pertinente universiteitsdokumente bestaande uit strategiese planne, universiteitsjaarboeke en institusionele ouditverslae, sowel as videos, klankopnames en koerantuitknipsels. Die eerste doel was om die pre-1994 en post-1994 ontwikkeling van die Universiteit van Zululand as ‘n instelling vir hoër onderrig in Suid-Afrika en as ‘n idee te ondersoek. Heterotopie is gebruik om die Universiteit se ideologiese konsepsies as ‘n idee en ‘n realiteit te begryp. Deur Barnett (2010) se begrippe van die wese en wording van ‘n universiteit te gebruik, kon die studie heterotopie versterk. Gegewe die omstandighede waardeur sy totstandkoming omring is, is dit nie verbasend dat baie die Universiteit as ‘n initiatief van apartheid beskou het gedurende die Universiteit se vroeë jare nie, soos hierdie studie se bevindinge getuig. In the 1980’s het ‘n selfrefleksie oefening die Universiteit daartoe gelei om ‘n nuwe identiteit as ‘n “Afrika Unversiteit” aan te neem. En na 1994, gedurende ‘n radikale hervorming van die hoër onderrig landskap, is dit as ‘n ‘omvattende instelling’ herbenoem. Die Universiteit se wese en wording weerspieël sosiale kwessies in Suid-Afrika. As ‘n heteropie, was die Universiteit altyd ‘n terrein vir die naasmekaarstelling van teenstrydige en dikwels moeilik navigeerbare strata. Vir die tweede doelwit Henri Lefebvre se ruimtelike triade gebruik om die werklike belewenisse van studente op die universiteitskampus te ondersoek. Ten einde nuwe kampuskulture, plakkery ingesluit, te skephet inwonende studente op die kampus vir hulself die kampusruimtes toegeëien en ontwrig. Studente het hul vermoë om vir hulself universiteitsruimtes toe te eien gedemonstreer, maar hulle het magteloos gevoel, aangesien hulle nie daartoe in staat was om te veg vir die verbeterde instandhouding van behuisingsfasiliteite op kampus nie. Fanon se konsep van ellende is gebruik om buitekampus studente se geleefde ervarings te analiseer. Die snelle groei van inskrywingsgetalle aan die Universiteit van Zululand het gelei tot die studentifikasie van die gasheerdorpie KwaDlangezwa en die geweldige uitbreiding van behuising buite die kampus. Kampus akkommodasie is uiters beperk aan die Universiteit. As gevolg daarvan woon ‘n aantal studente in behuising wat buite die kampus deur die dorpie gebied word. Studentebehuising verskaf ‘n bron van inkomste aan eienaars. Die studente aan die Universiteit van Zululand verkeer in ‘n toestand van ellende in ons tyd en die kern-periferie geografië van die apartheidsera bly voortbestaan in ‘n post-apartheid Suid-Afrika. Die afwesigheid van formele strukture waardeur buitekampus studente gesamentlik hul griewe kan lug, marginaliseer hulle en verleen onsigbaarheid aan hul worstelinge. Laastens het die studie die verhouding tussen die Universiteit en die gemeenskap ondersoek. Die resultate bring ‘n antagonistiese verhouding tussen dié twee aan die lig, soos bewys deur die gemeenskap se proteste teen die Universiteit. Daarbenewens het twiste oor grond bygedra tot die gespanne verhouding tussen die gemeenskap en die Universiteit. Dit demonstreer die behoefte aan berekende en sistematiese pogings om verbintenisse tussen die Universiteit en sy omgewing te skep.

Masters