Intruders in the ivory tower: Everyday articulations of race at a historically White university in South Africa.

Abstract

This dissertation is an examination of how race, race-relations and racism are articulated in the lives of Black, Colored, and White students at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg, South Africa in the post-apartheid era. The study included qualitative interviews with Black (n = 47), Colored (n = 19) and White (n = 47) undergraduate students. I apply Philomena Essed's theory of everyday racism in order to understand (1) social interactions among Black, Colored and White students inside and outside the classroom, (2) In class interactions of black and colored students with white lecturers and professors. These analyses reveal a distinct pattern of poor race relations between white and nonwhite students. They also reveal that Black and Colored students are socially isolated on campus. They are alienated in class by white students and excluded from extra-curricular activities. In their social interaction white lecturers, black students frequently report experiencing unfair treatment. The cite unfair grades, exclusion from class participation, being treated as less intelligent than white students, and feel additionally disadvantaged because of their low socioeconomic status compared to whites.