Political Economy of Higher Education: South Africa in a comparative perspective

Dr. Sanjiv Shrivastava is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) of Physics, who teaches very large classes of nearly 1000 students at the university of the Witwatersrand. He has been using the ubiquitous smart phone technology to engage students and to impart learning to large classes of First year Engineers. Due to my interest in the political economy of higher education, in terms of government and international policies that are continually putting pressure on universities worldwide to force them to become more dependent of student fees and to keep increasing the size of their classes, I was intrigued to see how this translated on the ground and how instructors were using technology in innovative ways to cope with the fundamental changes to teaching and learning in the university environment. Therefore, we co-wrote and co-presented a paper at this conference. We had a very well attended session. The attached paper is a working draft of our ongoing research. There was lively discussion throughout the conference. Several delegates asked for copies of our paper. We were asked by the conference organizer to finalize the research and submit it as a chapter for an upcoming book. I would like to thank Athabasca University and the APDF committee for providing financial support to attend this useful conference.Education is one of the major linchpins of economic, social and political development of any nation. There is overwhelming evidence suggesting that higher education can produce both public and private benefits. Thus, the role of the state in making education policy, and funding education is indeed critical, and cannot be left to be determined by market forces alone. Nevertheless, the trend of inadequate government funding for universities, loss of autonomy, infrastructural decay, falling academic standards, politicization and privatization of education, etc. appear to be a worldwide phenomenon and not just restricted to the developing world. South African higher education shows much promise with respect to knowledge production and dissemination, to contributing to social equity, economic and social development and democracy, and to the development needs of the Southern African region and the African continent. However, higher education in South Africa is under considerable stress due to a number of reasons. The first part of the paper will provide an overview of the conditions that are exerting negative pressures on higher education in the global context, the developmental implications of investment in higher education, and compare South Africa to trends in other parts of the world to draw lessons for government policies on higher education. The second part of the paper will consider a case study to cope with large class sizes through the use of mobile technology. The paper will discuss the technological viability and the pedagogical implications of the use of mobile technology in large size classes. The paper argues that this mode of delivery can be implemented in a variety of settings, bridging the limitations of distance as well as campus-based universities

Globalizing `Global Studies’: Vehicle for Disciplinary and Regional Bridges?

The most contentious and critical questions of contemporary times relate to the nature, scope, impact and conceptualization of globalization. The intensified impact of globalization and the acceptance that it is a contemporary social reality has manifested itself noticeably in a variety of disciplines. However, the inherently multidimensional processes of globalization demand new insights. The resultant rise of a Global Studies approach is expected to be unencumbered by dominant perspectives and existing academic loyalties by placing global theorizing and issues first. In light of this context, the paper raises several epistemological and ontological questions while outlining the broad contours of this emerging field. The analysis is based on academic literature as well as the examination of a selection of global studies programs in academic institutions to ascertain the contemporary application and perceptions of what constitutes global studies. The ensuing discussion explains why global studies is regarded as an overwhelmingly North American phenomenon. Finally, the paper suggests ways of broadening the disciplinary lens, which may also help global studies to overcome the wide regional divide

Invisible Women in History and Global Studies: Reflections from an Archival Research Project

This article questions the continuing invisibility of the significant scale of the involvement of women in historical movements/moments. The focus is on Mahatma Gandhi-led Civil Disobedience movement (1930-33), which was a historic turning point enabling the political involvement of masses of women in South Asia. Using an individual narrative, multi-archival research, and secondary literature survey, this article contends that the thriving subaltern and feminist historical traditions have had limited impact on historical ‘gender mainstreaming’. Furthermore, the paper argues that revealing the diverse nature and the substantial scale of women’s involvement in social/political change is important for two reasons: firstly, it contributes to a fuller understanding of history and; secondly, because historical research is essential for contemporary policy-making. Reclaiming the role of ordinary women in disparate history writing traditions thus can be a tool to understand and counter persistent gender inequality, in South Asia and in the larger global community

Alberta Oil and the Decline of Democracy in Canada

Prior to May 2015, the oil-rich jurisdiction of Alberta had, for over four decades, been a one-party state. During that time, the rule of the Progressive Conservatives essentially went unchallenged, with critiques of government policy falling on deaf ears and Alberta ranking behind other provinces in voter turnout. Given the province’s economic reliance on oil revenues, a symbiotic relationship also developed between government and the oil industry. Cross-national studies have detected a correlation between oil-dependent economies and authoritarian rule, a pattern particularly evident in Africa and the Middle East. Alberta Oil and the Decline of Democracy in Canada sets out to test the “oil inhibits democracy” hypothesis in the context of an industrialized nation in the Global North. In probing the impact of Alberta’s powerful oil lobby on the health of democracy in the province, contributors to the volume engage with an ongoing discussion of the erosion of political liberalism in the West. In addition to examining energy policy and issues of government accountability in Alberta, they explore the ramifications of oil dependence in areas such as Aboriginal rights, environmental policy, labour law, women’s equity, urban social policy, and the arts. If, as they argue, reliance on oil has weakened democratic structures in Alberta, then what of Canada as whole, where the short-term priorities of the oil industry continue to shape federal policy? In Alberta, the New Democratic Party is in a position to reverse the democratic deficit that is presently fuelling political and economic inequality. The findings in this book suggest that, to revitalize democracy, provincial and federal leaders alike must find the courage to curb the influence of the oil industry on governance

Subaltern Approach and the “Sense” of History in Global Studies

From July 10 to 12, 2013, I attended the annual conference of the European Global Studies Association at Roehampton University, London, UK. The theme of this year’s conference was “The Cosmopolitan Ideal: Challenges and Opportunities”. It was a small conference of nearly 200 delegates and aimed to critically interrogate the idea of cosmopolitanism as a notion that emphasizes the multiplicity of identities, belongings, and memberships that are possible across a plurality of communities. Aside from my ongoing research, publications, and program development within the field of Global Studies, this theme resonated with my ongoing project dealing with the significance of individual historical narratives towards inculcating a “sense of history”. My paper argues that a “sense of history” in terms of engagement with the past, as well as the construction of history, is often a process that is driven from above, by the social and political elite of the time. However, as the gulf between the histories of peoples and the state widens in this era of rapid globalization and the neoliberal retreat of the state, there is a greater need to bridge the gap between historical theory and the study of historical memory. My paper advocates for the social history approach of Subaltern Studies to broaden and deepen the understanding of global history and explores the significance of historical narratives such as The Book of Negroes (Lawrence Hill, 2007), Kiss of the Fur Queen (Tomson Highway, 1998) and Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe, 1958) to bring back the focus on peoples and processes, not only on events. There was a lot of gratifying discussion related to my project during and after my presentation, setting a very positive stage for the archival work that I embarked upon after the conference. Since this is an ongoing research, I am unable to share the draft paper in the public domain, however, the abstract of the paper follows below and I welcome any questions or suggestions through private communication. Title: Subaltern Approach and the “Sense” of History in Global Studies Abstract: In the 1980s, the scope of enquiry of Subaltern Studies was applied as a corrective to the dominant Eurocentric history writing, particularly in the South Asian postcolonial historiography. In its early commitment to social history, Subaltern Studies re-invented ‘subalternity’ by divorcing itself from Engel and Gramsci to invent a distinctive subalternity in which the nation was being re-configured, re-imagined, and re-theorised, exposing the breach between popular and national history. Subaltern Studies became an original site for a new kind of history from below, a people’s history free of national constraints, a post-nationalist re-imagining of the Indian nation on the underside, at the margins, and outside nationalism. Additionally, the intellectual efficacy of the term “Subaltern” enabled its adoption in fields such as anthropology, sociology, cultural studies and literary criticism. Meanwhile, in the rest of the world, as the Cold War came to an end, critical attacks on the public sector under Reagan and Thatcher widened what many scholars began to see as a permanent rift between people and states. In more contemporary times, the gulf between the peoples and states has been widening worldwide as global capitalism fights states for power over national resources; through the emergence of the processes of globalization and the concentration of capital on a new level that is apparently outside the effective control of the state machinery; and the emergence of a new plurality of sites of resistance, social groupings, movements, regions, and subcultures. In this milieu, the paper will explore if the social history approach of early Subaltern Studies could enrich the texture and interpretation of contemporary global history? In particular, it will explore the usefulness of engaging with our interconnected global experience through individual historical narratives such as those provided by The Book of Negroes (Lawrence Hill, 2007), Kiss of the Fur Queen (Tomson Highway, 1998) and Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe, 1958).In the 1980s, the scope of enquiry of Subaltern Studies was applied as a corrective to the dominant Eurocentric history writing, particularly in the South Asian postcolonial historiography. In its early commitment to social history, Subaltern Studies re-invented ‘subalternity’ by divorcing itself from Engel and Gramsci to invent a distinctive subalternity in which the nation was being re-configured, re-imagined, and re-theorised, exposing the breach between popular and national history. Subaltern Studies became an original site for a new kind of history from below, a people’s history free of national constraints, a post-nationalist re-imagining of the Indian nation on the underside, at the margins, and outside nationalism. Additionally, the intellectual efficacy of the term “Subaltern” enabled its adoption in fields such as anthropology, sociology, cultural studies and literary criticism. Meanwhile, in the rest of the world, as the Cold War came to an end, critical attacks on the public sector under Reagan and Thatcher widened what many scholars began to see as a permanent rift between people and states. In more contemporary times, the gulf between the peoples and states has been widening worldwide as global capitalism fights states for power over national resources; through the emergence of the processes of globalization and the concentration of capital on a new level that is apparently outside the effective control of the state machinery; and the emergence of a new plurality of sites of resistance, social groupings, movements, regions, and subcultures. In this milieu, the paper will explore if the social history approach of early Subaltern Studies could enrich the texture and interpretation of contemporary global history? In particular, it will explore the usefulness of engaging with our interconnected global experience through individual historical narratives such as those provided by The Book of Negroes (Lawrence Hill, 2007), Kiss of the Fur Queen (Tomson Highway, 1998) and Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe, 1958)

Oil-exporting economies and political liberalism: comparative trends and their relevance for the Canadian Political Economy

Dr. Stefanick and I had worked on putting this panel together, however, due to unavoidable circumstances two of the presenters could not attend the conference. Despite this unfortunate situation, it was a very well attended session. The attached paper is a working draft of an ongoing research. The discussant had good suggestions regarding the progress of my research. There was a very lively discussion session following the two presentations. I was asked for copies of my paper and approached by a colleague from Michigan for the possibility of collaboration. I would like to thank Athabasca University and the APDF committee for providing financial support to attend this useful conference.Alberta oil has enabled Canada to become the largest supplier of oil and refined products to the United States, ahead of Saudi Arabia and Mexico. However, the largest mining operations in history, is also one of the most damaging in history. The enormous environmental impacts of water usage, land damage, deforestation, and pollution, as well as the social impact of large-scale immigration to the region are being hotly debated in this context. More recently, there have been concerns regarding the transformation of Canada into a `Petro State’, which is likely to undermine democracy in the country. The relationship between oil and democracy has been most widely tested in the context of high-income states of the Arab Middle East, to explain the lack of political liberalism in those countries. Some recent studies have compared oil-exporting countries in Latin America and Africa to explore the `oil impedes democracy’ hypothesis. This paper will apply the insights of these comparative studies within the Canadian context to explore questions such as - To what extent do the causal mechanisms of oil versus democracy apply in Canada? Is there any evidence of the phenomenon of `resource curse’ in Canada, which is offered as an explanation for the lack of democracy and development elsewhere? Finally, what is the salience of the role of Canadian oil/mineral companies abroad, on this debate

Reimagining Globalization: An Unfamiliar Narrative?

As an idea or concept, globalization finds expression in the rhetoric and rationale for social and political action almost everywhere. However, the ebb and flow of this debate has ranged from declaring the 'End of History' and 'the Flattening of the World' to 'the End of Globalism' and 'Sinking Globalization'. This obviously raises the question "how is contemporary globalization and its consequences conceptualized and understood? Secondly, we need to question the significance of the discourse of globalization to ask why it matters. This presentation provides a broad overview of the contending debates on globalization and the resultant rise of 'Global'. approaches. While accepting the concept of globalization as a meaningful guide to the interpretation of the current conjuncture of geopolitical, economic and cultural trends, the paper, however, argues for the refocusing of the geographical, economic and cultural studies of globalization. The rational for this argument does not just lie in the shifting international context but also in the concern with the silencing of the historical and contemporary experiences and roles of a vast majority of humanity

Amma’s Daughters: A Memoir

As a precocious young girl, Surekha knew very little about the details of her mother Amma’s unusual past and that of Babu, her mysterious and sometimes absent father. The tense, uncertain family life created by her parents’ distant and fractious marriage and their separate ambitions informs her every action and emotion. Then one evening, in a moment of uncharacteristic transparency and vulnerability, Amma tells Surekha and her older sister Didi of the family tragedy that changed the course of her life. Finally, her daughters begin to understand the source of their mother’s deep commitment to the Indian nationalist movement and her seemingly unending willingness to sacrifice in the name of that pursuit. In this re-memory based on the published and unpublished work of Amma and Surekha, Meenal Shrivastava, Surekha’s daughter, uncovers the history of the female foot soldiers of Gandhi’s national movement in the early twentieth century. As Meenal weaves these written accounts together with archival research and family history, she gives voice and honour to the hundreds of thousands of largely forgotten or unacknowledged women who, threatened with imprisonment for treason and sedition, relentlessly and selflessly gave toward the revolution