This is the presentation that Elmarie Costandius gave at the SOTL@UJ: Towards a socially just pedagogy seminar series on the Graphic arts and social justice

1. Faculty of
Education –
Towards a Socially
Just Pedagogy
SOTL@UJ
Seminar
Series for
2015
SOCIALLY JUST PEDAGOGY AND
COMMUNITY INTERACTION:
A REFLECTION ON PRACTICE

2. Content
¡ Introduction
¡ Theoretical perspectives
¡ Strategies
¡ Example of project and data collected
¡ Conclusion
¡ More project examples

3. INTRODUCTION
¡ HEIs globally experience tensions between being successful
versus being relevant.
¡ Seen differently, being a “successful university” means that
an institution should be an engaged university that
contributes to society in a meaningful way.
¡ In its “Strategic Framework for the Turn of the Century and
Beyond”, Stellenbosch University espouses the view that the
task of a University is threefold, namely a) to create
knowledge (research), b) to transfer knowledge (teaching)
and c) to apply knowledge (community interaction).
¡ It can therefore be argued that without applying knowledge
the university cannot be relevant.

4. INTRODUCTION
¡ Barnett (2003) distinguishes four forms of community
engagement:
§ non-reflectional or blind
§ extractional (only serving one’s own interest)
§ impositional (driven by state-imposed expectations) and
§ realisational (taking responsibility for the way it sees itself
and fulfilling its role accordingly).
The first three forms of community engagement personify self-
centredness and represent an unsustainable way of
approaching engagement (Barnett 2003).

5. INTRODUCTION
¡ We could ask ourselves whether we are really making a
difference where it is needed in society – on a theoretical
level or a practical level
¡ Current issues in our society include injustices that are
underpinned by factors such as class, poverty, racism and
gender discrimination, etc.
¡ In T&L there are injustices - opportunities are not always
equal. Practical guidelines to address these inequalities are
not always accessible or available.
¡ To help understand these complex issues, I used critical
citizenship as a framework, but have recently also focused
in greater depth on social justice pedagogy.

6. ¡ Johnson and
Morris (2010)
developed a
framework for
critical
citizenship
education
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

7. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
¡ I am using the following definition, based on Johnson and
Morris (2010): Critical citizenship is based on the promotion
of a common set of shared values such as tolerance,
diversity, human rights and democracy. As an educational
pedagogy, it encourages critical reflection on the past and
the imagining of a possible future shaped by social justice,
in order to prepare people in diverse societies to live
together in harmony.

8. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
¡ To unpack the social justice concept further, the three-
dimensional approach to social justice of Nancy Fraser (2008,
2009) is used.
¡ They are: distribution of resources; the politics of recognition; and
the politics of representation and belonging.
§ Lack of finances could influence teaching and learning.
§ Unequal recognition of class, gender, nationality or race in a society
and in educational environments could have an effect on teaching
and learning.
§ Misrepresentation could play out in the form of people being denied
the possibility of participating as equals in society, or in
educational environments.
¡ According to Fraser, all three dimensions should be included to
enhance social justice. Fraser (2008:282) uses the phrase “no
redistribution or recognition without representation”.

9. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
¡ Social justice teaching and learning in South Africa is
situated in the post-colonial and post-apartheid context. One
must realise that, even though we talk of a post-colonial and
post-apartheid era, particular aspects of discrimination are
still present.
¡ Post-colonial is understood as the time after colonies gained
political independence from the colonisers, but, more
importantly, signifies an analytical orientation to
comprehend the relationship between the coloniser and
colonised, and the “psychological, material and cultural
effects of these relationships” (Ratele & Duncan 2007:110)
and how both are implicated in meaning-making processes.

10. ¡ Social justice education incorporates both what is included
in the curriculum and how the lecturer practises social
justice; therefore not only what you teach but how you
teach (Leibowitz & Bozalek 2015).
¡ It is also a challenge experienced not so much in writing
policies or curricula, but probably more in confronting what
is happening in everyday interactions between students,
lecturers or community members.
¡ Barnett and Coate (2008) refer to a hidden curriculum or a
curriculum within a curriculum, where what is said on
paper and in policy documents does not always correspond
with what is happening in actual educational interaction.
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

11. STRATEGIES: Dialogue, Reflection, Art as medium,
and Community Interaction (CI)
Dialogue
• Socratic learning - lecturers, students and community members
• Safe space and difficult dialogues
• How can I learn from others about the obstacles they face?
• What narratives are missing from the “official story”?
• What is considered as the “norm”?
• Who are considered as the “others”?

12. STRATEGIES: Dialogue, Reflection, Art as medium,
and Community Interaction (CI)
Reflections (students, lecturers and community members)
• Affective-Cognitive model (Du Plessis, Smith-Tolken) Emotions
and theoretical context
• Struggling with emotions
• Difficult knowledge (Britzman 2013)
• Knowledge in the blood (Jansen 2009)

13. STRATEGIES: Dialogue, Reflection, Art as medium,
and Community Interaction (CI)
Art as medium
• Medium for working through sensitive issues
• Analysing issues from different perspectives
• Being ‘in the shoes of others’ (Nussbaum 2010)
• Developing imagination – come up with ideas to make a better
society
• Practising praxis

14. STRATEGIES: Dialogue, Reflection, Art as medium,
and Community Interaction
Community interaction
• Interacting with or exposure to various communities
• Braidotti (2015) argues that we as lecturers or critical thinkers
are not separated from society – we are part of society and part
of the problems in society. We are immanent to the problems.
• Discussions with community about issues in society

15. CONTENTS
EXAMPLE OF A PROJECT
MEMORIALISE THE FORCED REMOVALS

16. MEMORIALISING
THE
FORCED
REMOVALS
¡ For
decades,
the
forced
removals
from
Die
Vlakte
and
the
BaCle
of
Andringa
Street
were
not
part
of
the
official
history
of
Stellenbosch.
¡ In
addiLon
to
the
3700
coloured
inhabitants,
6
schools,
4
churches,
a
mosque,
a
cinema
and
10
businesses
were
affected
by
the
forced
removals.
¡ Some
buildings
on
the
current
SU
campus
have
been
built
where
Die
Vlakte
use
to
be
–
for
instance
the
Arts
and
Social
Sciences
building.

17. ¡ It
was
a
two-­‐week
project
on
how
to
memorialise
the
history
of
the
Arts
and
Social
Sciences
building.
¡ It
was
undertaken
by
Visual
Arts
students
and
English
Honours
students.
¡ The
aim
was
to
make
students
and
lecturers
aware
of
and
reflect
on
the
history
of
the
building
and
the
present
consequences
of
that
history.
¡ A
range
of
aspects
were
involved:
interdisciplinary
interacLon,
community
interacLon,
group
work,
research,
interviews
with
ASSF
students,
reflecLve
wriLng,
conceptualisaLon
of
the
memorial,
visual
and
oral
presentaLons.
MEMORIALISING
THE
FORCED
REMOVALS

18. Our design concept is an exhibition space that creates
interest in the history of the forced removals of Die
through interaction.
Flat-pack tables mounted on wall panels can be
removed to form functional work surfaces.
The putting together and packing away of the tables

21. Mapping Emotions
Express
Yourself
How would you feel if you were removed from your home?
Angry Confused Sympathy Hurt Reconciliation
On 25 September 1964
Die Vlakte was proclaimed a
whites only area. The people
in Die Vlakte used to be a
quiet and joyful coloured
community, but many
people were forcefully
removed from their own
homes during apartheid on
the basis of their race.

22. THEMES
THAT
EMERGED
Reflections of community members
Reflections of students
• Discomfort/guilt/shame
• Inflexibility
• Resistance
• Uneven hierarchies
• Growth
• Socially just space
Reflections of lecturer

23. “See,
I
want
to
tell
this
story
as
widely
as
possible,
not
so
much
because
of
being
in
a
revenge
mode,
but
more
because
it
is
enriching
…it
cheers
the
spirit
…
whatever
that
may
mean
…I
do
not
believe
in
breaking
down,
but
in
building
up!”
“There
are
not
many
people
who
want
to
talk
about
it
because
it
is
just
too
painful
and
people
become
angry
when
they
have
to
think
about
it
again.”
“People
do
not
see
it
[the
sadness
and
humiliaFon]
for
I
have
learnt,
by
looking
on
the
bright
side,
to
joke
about
it;
it
is
an
escape
mechanism.
It
hurts,
no
doubt
about
it.
I
am
77
and
it
sFll
hurts.
It
requires
swallowing
hard
to
keep
it
[the
sadness]
back.
No,
people
do
not
know
what
is
happening
within
you.
It
has
leL
a
wound
that
one
cannot
heal
with
medicaFon.”
REFLECTIONS OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS

24. STUDENTS: DISCOMFORT/GUILT/SHAME
“Personally
I
feel
completely
unequipped
for
such
a
task
and
even
other
older
students
can’t
believe
we
were
given
such
a
huge
project.
…It
is
a
loaded
topic
with
months
of
research
required
to
understand
the
full
scope
of
emoFons,
wrongs,
benefits,
disadvantaging
and
joys
that
all
formed
part
of
the
history.”

25.
“I
didn’t
know
how
to
feel
about
all
of
these
mixed
emoFons
that
I
got
from
various
sources.
On
the
one
hand
I
wanted
to
feel
empathy
towards
the
community
members,
but
on
the
other
hand
I
felt
as
if
they
were
blaming
most
of
us
for
what
has
happened
to
them.”
DISCOMFORT/GUILT/SHAME

26. “…
It
is
easy
to
disregard
paper
and
to
disregard
things
wriQen
on
paper,
posters
and
objects
but
you
cannot
ignore
stories
on
people’s
faces
and
the
passion
of
their
experience.
…
We
were
informed
that
‘aLer
32
years,
the
hate
and
the
heart
felt
is
sFll
there’
that
‘the
moment
you
start
talking,
it
starts
borrelling
[bubbling]’…”
DISCOMFORT/GUILT/SHAME

27. ¡ Community interaction is not a mental experience only, but also
a bodily experience.
¡ Reading an article vs real interaction/exposure
¡ Affective turn (Gregg & Seigworth 2010).
¡ Emotional side or embodyment of critical thinking
¡ Bickmore (2001:159-160) stresses that “critical thinking and
participatory problem solving simply cannot be learned without
opportunities to practice”.
DISCOMFORT/GUILT/SHAME

28. ¡ Experiencing mental and bodily discomfort when dealing
with sensitive issues is a good space for starting critical
self-reflection and change.
¡ Place of discomfort is the point where reflection begins (Dewey,
in Bringle & Hatcher 1999)
¡ Leibowitz et al. (2010) argue that discomfort can serve as
pedagogy for change.
¡ Although experiencing discomfort or talking about the past
may be difficult and painful for some students, Swartz et al.
(2009) argue that it is the responsibility of lecturers to
facilitate such discussions.
DISCOMFORT/GUILT/SHAME

29.
Aer
conversaLons
with
community
members,
the
focus
of
the
project
changed.
¡ “Deur
die
loop
van
die
twee
weke
het
ek
gevoel
dat
die
fokus
van
die
projek
geskuif
het
van
die
BA
gebou
na
die
Mense
van
die
gemeenskap,
wat
my
baie
deurmekaar
gehad
het.”
INFLEXIBILITY

30.
¡ “I
think
we
could
appreciate
it
[the
project]
if
we
had
enough
Fme
but
I
feel
we
didn’t,
and
now
I
feel
even
more
biased
towards
the
whole
Apartheid
thing.”
¡ “…I
seriously
considered
leaving
Stellenbosch
for
a
week.”
¡ “I
wanted
to
get
up
and
say
what
I
think,
I
didn’t
want
to
do
this
project.”
RESISTANCE

31. UNEVEN HIERACHIES
¡ Uneven hierarchies – university, lecturer, students and
community members
¡ The way in which community interactions are structured is
important: it should not be a situation that includes givers
and receivers only, but should aim at a mutual exchange
of giving and receiving.
¡ Community interaction is often connected with the ideas
of helping behaviour. Religion and CI
¡ Bhattacharyya (2004) argues that helping behaviour could
perpetuate relations of dependency, therefore the concept
of working with and not for communities should be
considered.

32.
STUDENT’S
PERSONAL
GROWTH
¡ “Having been told these stories I look on the town
with new eyes. One can take a new walk through the
town and experience moments in which the absence
left by forced removals becomes visible in the present
space almost as clearly as the town is empty during
the university holidays when the students go to their
family homes.”

33. ¡ “Driving past the guesthouse at 67 Ryneveld Street, one
might not guess that this property once belonged to a
‘coloured’ family who was forced to vacate by the Group
Areas Act. The traces of history are not just in the
physical structures, but in the social movement that
occurs in these spaces. History is in the streets we
walk, and the streets we avoid. It is in the grandson of
the previous owner of 67 Ryneveld driving ‘specifically
down that street, past that house,’ rolling down his
window and shouting curses.”
¡ Put yourself in the shoes of others.
STUDENT’S
PERSONAL
GROWTH

34.
¡ “The
effort
alone
insFlled
in
me
a
patrioFc
glee
that
had
long
since
been
lost
in
many
of
us,
and
if
I
can
feel
it
through
such
a
seemingly
insignificant
effort,
then
it
won’t
be
too
difficult
for
the
next
person
to
make
an
effort
as
well
and
feel
the
same,
and
hope
for
the
next
person
to
know
such
joy
too”.
STUDENT’S
PERSONAL
GROWTH

35.
¡ “An
overwhelming
feeling
of
reconciliaFon
in
itself
struck
me,
and
even
though
I
had
to
keep
my
prospects
and
hopes
very
much
realisFc,
I
know
this
project
will
only
change
a
few
minds,
if
any,
and
it,
alone,
will
make
no,
if
any,
difference
to
the
way
the
communiFes
interact
in
Stellenbosch
today,
but
I
couldn’t
shake
the
feeling
that
at
least
I
was
doing
my
part,
and
we
were
doing
our
part,
and
that
made
me
feel
good
and
contempt
[content]”.
STUDENTS’
PERSONAL
GROWTH

36.
STUDENTS’
PERSONAL
GROWTH

37. SOCIALLY JUST SPACE
¡ Socailly just space - One coloured student
¡ Safe space for discussions
¡ Blended learning
¡ Assessment - medical vs societal issue
¡ Take critisism difficult – diploma course

38. • A safe space meant a space where what was said by students and
learners during conversations in class or community interaction was
not to be held against them and did not, for instance, affect the
student’s marks.
• One has to distinguish between safe space and ‘safe speech’ (Waghid
2010). Waghid argues against ‘safe speech’ in which disruption is
avoided. A safe space does not necessarily mean safe speech. One
could, in fact, explore critical issues within a safe space.
SOCIALLY JUST SPACE - SAFE SPACE

39. MY OWN SELF-REFLECTION
§ Biko (2004:23) warns against artificial integration by which
the hierarchy of white as knowledgeable and black as needy is
perpetuated. “This type of integration can be an illusion and
often provides a “vague satisfaction for the guilt-stricken
whites”.
§ Biko urges whites to refrain from solving black people’s
problems and to concentrate on the evils of white racism in
their own personal life and community.
§ Morgan and Streb (2001:166) argue that there could be cases in
which a community interaction or service-learning approach
“does not help everyone equally; perhaps it increases the gaps in
citizenship that may exist already based on race, gender,
academic performance, or engagement in school”.
§ Am I capable of facilitating critical citizenship/social justice
education?

40. § Stereotyping for instance, mostly happens on a subconscious
level and will not come into the conscious mind if not brought
to the surface.
§ Even when it becomes conscious, it does not mean that it
disappears; it is constantly correcting and redirecting one’s way
of thinking and will slowly replace the ingrained perception of
the past.
¡ Some perceptions and attitudes could be confirmed and
perpetuated in the interactions and conversations, instead
of shifted.
¡ We have to realise that we can do damage while we are
trying to do good or enhance social justice.
MY OWN SELF-REFLECTION

41. CONCLUSION
I
want
to
end
with
some
ideas
from
Braidob
(2013,
2015):
¡ Our social responsibility as lecturers and researchers is to
think - to be critical thinkers but also to overturn the
negativity in society - what Braidotti calls ethical praxis.
¡ Braidotti (2013, 2015) also argues for developing a sense of
interconnectedness between self and others. We are immanent
to the problems.
¡ Social justice is not only what I incorporate into my
curriculum, it is also about how I teach, about what kind of
person I am, and what I am doing about overturning the
negativity in society.

42. Thank you.

43. KAYAMANDI PROJECTS

50. CREATING A
WELCOMING CULTURE
ON CAMPUS

55. WOMEN’S DAY
9 AUGUST 2013
ADDRESS THE LACK OF
THE PRESENCE OF
WOMEN IN THE VISUAL
SPACES ON CAMPUS

59. CELEBRATING
DIVERSITYlet US come together | a kaleidoscope of people
CELEBRATING
DIVERSITY
WEEK