CONVERSATION ON RACISM AND ITS MANIFESTATIONS IN HIGHER EDUCATION ENVIRONMENTS: RESPONSE TO PROFESSOR JONATHAN JANSEN
In his article on ‘sniffing out racial intolerance in campuses; Mail and Guardian, 13 August 2010’ Professor Jansen make observations that do not only require a response but need further elucidation. In the article mention is made of ‘an accusatory tone of public discourse that works to further separate ordinary black and white from coming together”. Whilst the above assertion has merit, it is in Professor Jansen’s admission “I know from experience that racial attitudes are not only carried in words but also communicated in other ways”, that the issue of ‘subliminal racism’ in the protected space of academics needs to be understood.
The position of academic institutions and the instruments of knowledge generation and dissemination such as academic journals should not be underestimated in the national assignment of redefining the historic stereotypes about intellectualism. Academic institutions as repositories of knowledge and the recorded memory of a country’s future should at all times be interrogated about their practical contribution to the reigning public discourse.
As Okonda Okolo teaches ‘our past, by continually modifying itself through our discoveries, invites us to new appropriations; these appropriations lead us towards a better grasp of our identity’. In these discoveries we should be conscious of the originative historic ground that maybe instructing us to be preserving, renewing and perpetuating what we seek to undo through discourse and practice. Because of the inherent character of academic life to procure for established theory to explain phenomena, the danger of relying on theories that are not self determining the non-racial discourse is always real when dealing with subliminal racism.
To assume that the non-racial agenda will be embraced in a society that once institutionalised racism through law and human settlement design, is to abandon intellectual objectivity in favour of some undefined communal correctness. To illustrate the depth of hypocrisy in the knowledge generation community, over 70% of academic journals in South Africa are edited by non-blacks (the author accepts how history created this anomaly) and any efforts at changing this demographic is met with vociferous opposition at the altar of ‘standards’ even if the ascendaries are confirmed protégés of old editors.
The access to shelf space as well as prescribed material space is also defined in terms of a criterion that confirms the existence of subliminal racism, notwithstanding the absence of tangible evidence. The original ideological continuum of racism has therefore shifted to poles that are defined according to standards that privileges the originative historic ground of racism itself; supremacy of one race over others.
In his assertions about the importance of Black Consciousness, Prof Jansen wants us to accept the ‘trickle down’ theory for the complete emancipation of academia and its instruments from the grip of race based standardisation criterion. These are some of the things that make it difficult not to call for a anti-movement he seems to be having an issue with;
• If a professor cannot accept his PHD student to succeed him or her as an editor of an academic journal then that professor, and indeed the institution he/she represents passes a motion of no confidence in its alumni; that is if the reason is not pure racism.
• If a community of professors, unfortunately in the main non-black supported by sub-ordinated black colleagues, connive to stop the ascendary of an accomplished colleague, who happens to be black, to editorship of a journal that was edited by his/her mentor and claim that his/her standards will affect the journal then racism needs an anti-movement to eradicate it
• If the anti-movement places non-black "staff and students in a position of constant fear" because it seeks to refuse equally disempowering labels such as low standards, merit, insufficient capacity and so on; then the intimidatory elements of the movement need to be heightened before black staff and students become demobilised
• If our academic institutions produce indigenous black professors who are not good enough to lead faculties, departments and even edit academic journals; then an anti- type of a movement is long overdue.
Yes professor, “to deal with the very real issues of racism and racial divisions, it is important to bring all South African students and staff into a safe, honest space without accusatory impulses taking over, so that we can handle these difficult and troubling concerns in ways that also signal hope, healing and restoration.” However if this approach is followed to disable indigenous South Africans as well as dislodge the self-standing self determination settling within the black intellectual community; then a deliberately framed anti-racism agenda is necessary.
The position of academic institutions and the instruments of knowledge generation and dissemination such as academic journals should not be underestimated in the national assignment of redefining the historic stereotypes about intellectualism. Academic institutions as repositories of knowledge and the recorded memory of a country’s future should at all times be interrogated about their practical contribution to the reigning public discourse.
As Okonda Okolo teaches ‘our past, by continually modifying itself through our discoveries, invites us to new appropriations; these appropriations lead us towards a better grasp of our identity’. In these discoveries we should be conscious of the originative historic ground that maybe instructing us to be preserving, renewing and perpetuating what we seek to undo through discourse and practice. Because of the inherent character of academic life to procure for established theory to explain phenomena, the danger of relying on theories that are not self determining the non-racial discourse is always real when dealing with subliminal racism.
To assume that the non-racial agenda will be embraced in a society that once institutionalised racism through law and human settlement design, is to abandon intellectual objectivity in favour of some undefined communal correctness. To illustrate the depth of hypocrisy in the knowledge generation community, over 70% of academic journals in South Africa are edited by non-blacks (the author accepts how history created this anomaly) and any efforts at changing this demographic is met with vociferous opposition at the altar of ‘standards’ even if the ascendaries are confirmed protégés of old editors.
The access to shelf space as well as prescribed material space is also defined in terms of a criterion that confirms the existence of subliminal racism, notwithstanding the absence of tangible evidence. The original ideological continuum of racism has therefore shifted to poles that are defined according to standards that privileges the originative historic ground of racism itself; supremacy of one race over others.
In his assertions about the importance of Black Consciousness, Prof Jansen wants us to accept the ‘trickle down’ theory for the complete emancipation of academia and its instruments from the grip of race based standardisation criterion. These are some of the things that make it difficult not to call for a anti-movement he seems to be having an issue with;
• If a professor cannot accept his PHD student to succeed him or her as an editor of an academic journal then that professor, and indeed the institution he/she represents passes a motion of no confidence in its alumni; that is if the reason is not pure racism.
• If a community of professors, unfortunately in the main non-black supported by sub-ordinated black colleagues, connive to stop the ascendary of an accomplished colleague, who happens to be black, to editorship of a journal that was edited by his/her mentor and claim that his/her standards will affect the journal then racism needs an anti-movement to eradicate it
• If the anti-movement places non-black "staff and students in a position of constant fear" because it seeks to refuse equally disempowering labels such as low standards, merit, insufficient capacity and so on; then the intimidatory elements of the movement need to be heightened before black staff and students become demobilised
• If our academic institutions produce indigenous black professors who are not good enough to lead faculties, departments and even edit academic journals; then an anti- type of a movement is long overdue.
Yes professor, “to deal with the very real issues of racism and racial divisions, it is important to bring all South African students and staff into a safe, honest space without accusatory impulses taking over, so that we can handle these difficult and troubling concerns in ways that also signal hope, healing and restoration.” However if this approach is followed to disable indigenous South Africans as well as dislodge the self-standing self determination settling within the black intellectual community; then a deliberately framed anti-racism agenda is necessary.
Wow! a hard heating article from someone who shoots from the hip. you've just emptied the calabash. I think the mail M&G would be an appropriate platform for this.Well said!
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