#FeesMustFall 1 – multiple axes of inequality

In this vignette we consider two axes of inequality at issue in the #FeesMustFall protests. First, calls for ‘decolonisation’ give voice to a deeply felt sense of disadvantage by many students relative to their historically more privileged peers. Is this perception of inequality – of structural violence by the academy itself – valid? Second, to call for free higher education is to demand dramatic re-prioritisation of limited public resources. Is it legitimate to stake this claim given the current social position and future opportunities of those benefiting from higher-education, as well as the many unmet development needs of the poorest?

For another take on #FeesMustFall see Vignette 32.