# Call for papers and workshop: Student representation in Africa July 24, 2013 STUDENT REPRESENTATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION GOVERNANCE IN AFRICA Editors: Thierry M Luescher-Mamashela (University of the Western Cape, South Africa), Manja Klemenčič (Harvard University, USA) and James Otieno Jowi (Moi University, Kenya) Contact: With this Special Call for Papers we seek proposals for original research articles, especially case studies, that investigate the topic of student representation in higher education governance in Africa. Accepted papers will be published in a special issue of the Journal of Student Affairs in Africa and, in some cases, included in the 2014 African Minds book on Student Representation in African Higher Education. Student representation is typically seen as one of the key aspects of higher education governance across the globe, and it is essential for a full understanding of higher education politics and policy-making. Higher education governance operates a various levels: at supra-national or regional level, at national or system level, and at institutional and sub-institutional levels. Representing student interests may take different forms – ranging from protest action to student membership in formal decision-making structures. At institutional level, student representation is typically formally organised in structures of student government such as a Students’ Representative Council (SRC), Student Guild or Student Union government. Members of these bodies may participate in the formal university governance structures: as student representatives in council, senate/academic council, various committees and other fora. In addition, they may have a special relationship with the university top management, either directly through consultative meetings or mediated by student affairs officers like a dean of students. SRCs and Guilds may provide student services beyond representation and arrange student activities. The extent of student representation in university governance is often formally provided for in a higher education act, a university private law or charter, an institutional statute and the rules of the university. At system level, national student political organisations, which usually take the form of a national association or union, stand out because of their claim to the representation of all students. Their representatives may participate in higher education governance in national bodies that deal with quality assurance, student bursaries/funding, and the like. They may have special relationships with actors in national government, or with certain political parties or other social groups, that may enhance their influence but conversely compromise their independence. While there are undoubtedly commonalities across countries, there are also significant historical differences between countries and broad regions (e.g. Francophone vs. Anglophone Africa; North, East, Central, West and Southern Africa), in terms of the characteristics of the student representational systems: how many associations compete to represent students at national level; what are their organisational characteristics; and which ones are accepted as representing the general student body by formal sector bodies, government and institutional managements. Furthermore, the structure and characteristics of the higher education policy processes differ significantly and with them the legitimacy, role and influence of representative student associations. The extent of student representation at system level may also be provided for in laws and regulations governing the sector. Students who aspire to become members of an official student representation structure like an SRC or represent students nationally usually have to be elected into position. In some universities and some national organisations, a potential candidate may need to be a member of a student political organisation to be eligible for election; even where there is no such requirement, the backing of a specific constituency or a student organisation may be a requisite to gain enough votes. If a student political organisation is affiliated to a particular national political party, a complex set of relations and mutual expectations may ensue; conversely, there are student organisations that predominantly (or exclusively) represent a distinct local regional, ethnic or religious group. Unpacking the complex relationships between national political parties and other politically relevant groupings, on the one hand, and student political organisations and student leaders, on the other hand, in so far as these relations impact on the representation of student interests, is among the focal points of this Special Call for Papers. Thus, the overall objective of the proposed Special Call for Papers is to map out and compare across the African continent recent changes in the higher education landscape overall and the different models of how students as a collective body are organised at both, institutional and national levels; how their interests are aggregated, articulated and intermediated into institutional and national policy processes; and what the role of political parties and other organised social groups is in student representation. Research Questions In particular, the featured papers will engage with two specific questions: \- How has the expansion of higher education, the massification of existing public institution, admission of private students (and in some institutions the creation of ‘parallel’ student bodies), and the mushrooming in private higher education institutions, affected student representation in different countries at systemic and institutional level in Africa? \- How do campus-based and national student representative organisations relate to political parties and/or social cleavages in society (e.g. regional, religious, ethnic)? How do they uphold their legitimacy to represent the student voice? How do they uphold their organisational autonomy? Who are their members? Where do they get their financial and other resources from? How many resources do they have? How do they fare in managing these resources to the benefit of students? These questions can be addressed as single-country/single-university case studies or using multiple case studies. In each case it will involve outlining first the formal governance structures. The proposed Special Call builds on current empirical and theoretical work in various forums: \- CODESRIA’s investigations into higher education governance in East, West and Southern Africa \- the Special Issue of the European Journal of Higher Education on Student Representation in Western Europe (EJHE 2(1), 2012) and the forthcoming Special Issue of Studies in Higher Education on Student Representation in a Global Perspective (Studies in Higher Education 2014\) \- Previous work by the HERANA Network on Higher Education and Democracy and the Centre for Higher Education Transformation, Cape Town, on Student Leadership and Governance in Africa. The Special Call for Proposals offers an opportunity for further developing current frameworks for studying student representation in the African context, taking into consideration the different characteristics of higher education systems, institutions, and traditions of student representation in this context. Overall, the Special Issue of the Journal of Student Affairs in Africa and the proposed book on Student Representation will contribute to the re-emerging body of literature focusing on students’ political agency, and especially on the institutionalised forms of student political behaviour with a special focus on Africa. Process and Timelines Proposals for manuscripts containing an outline of the intended article (max 400 words) and a CV or short biography of the authors should be sent by 30 November 2013 to [jsaa\_editor@outlook.com](mailto:jsaa_editor@outlook.com) or and mention in the subject line Special Issue: Student Representation. Authors will be notified by 15 January. Final articles of approx. 5000 words are due by 31 July 2014. Authors will be invited to a special 3-day authors’ workshop/colloquium in Cape Town, South Africa, to present their pre-final papers in April/May 2014. Other events (e.g. book launches) may be offered if funding permits. Final papers will be published either in the 2014 African Minds book on Student Representation in African Higher Education or in the Special Issue on Student Representation of the Journal of Student Affairs in Africa. All papers to be published in the Journal Special Issue and the Book will benefit from the author development workshop, undergo a rigorous editorial process, and doubleblind review process. About the Editors Dr Thierry M Luescher-Mamashela is former Vice-President of the University of Cape Town Students’ Representative Council (SRC) and a former N.E.C. member of the South African Union of SRCs. He is Senior Lecturer in Higher Education Studies and Political Studies at the University of the Western Cape and Senior Researcher/Project Leader at the Centre for Higher Education Transformation, Cape Town. He has guest edited (with Ben Turok) the special issue on Youth and Students of the New Agenda: South African Journal of Social and Economic Policy in 2013 and written several articles on higher education governance and student politics in Africa. He acts as journal manager and co-editor of the Journal of Student Affairs in Africa (in 2013/14). Dr Manja Klemenčič is former Secretary General of the European Students’ Union. She is a Researcher at Harvard Graduate School of Education and Associate Research Fellow at Centre of Educational Policy Studies, University of Ljubljana. Her publications include guest editing of two special issues on student governance in Western European and in global perspective (European Journal of Higher Education 2(1) 2012 and (forthcoming) Studies in Higher Education) and several articles and book chapters. She is also coediting an edited volume on Student engagement in Europe: society, higher education and student governance for Council of Europe's Higher Education Series (forthcoming in 2014), and working on a book manuscript entitled Student Power in Europe. She will be editor-in-chief of the European Journal of Higher Education from 2014. Mr James Otieno Jowi has been a student leader at University of Oslo, Norway, and Moi University, Kenya. He is the founding Executive Director and Secretary General of the African Network for Internationalisation of Education (ANIE). He teaches Comparative and International Education in the School of Education, Moi University, Kenya. He has published on the internationalisation of higher education in Africa, as well as on matters of student leadership, management and governance in higher education. Deliverables 3-Day Workshop with Researchers / Authors / Editors It is proposed that a 3-day workshop will be held in Cape Town with up to 15 sponsored contributors to the book from across Africa (and a number of self-paying contributors). The workshop will address four main issues: 1\. Presentations of pre-final drafts from authors in a seminar format with respondents; 2\. General matters related to the publication of the finished papers and further projects; 3\. General topical matters in African higher education, higher education governance, and student representation; the field of higher education studies and student affairs; 4\. Specific matters related to academic publishing, academic writing, writing for international journals (e.g. open vs. closed journals; bait-and-switch) and related funding issues. Tentative Agenda for the Authors’ Workshop Day 1 – Arrivals & Evening Programme \- Dinner with Welcome and Introductions \- Panel discussion: “Academic publishing in Africa: Access, funding, success” (Keynote speakers: Routledge; African Minds; Funding Representative) Day 2 \- Key note 1: “Topical matters in African higher education, higher education governance, and student representation” (Keynote speaker TBC) \- Presentation of Draft Papers o Session 1 – morning o Sessions 2 & 3 - afternoon \- Closing Presentation: o Reflections on Sessions 1 – 3 presentations \- Dinner at Guest House \- Evening tour at UCT & Drinks at UCT Club (including interaction with UCT members & address by UCT senior leadership and SRC President) Day 3 \- Key note 2: “Developing HE studies and Student Affairs in Africa” \- Presentation of Papers o Session 4 –morning o Sessions 5 & 6 -afternoon \- Closing Presentations: o Reflections on Sessions 4 – 6 presentations: Emerging commonalities and differences o General matters related to the publication of the finished papers o Ongoing and further projects \- Dinner at Guest House. \- Evening tour to UWC & Refreshments (including interactions with UWC members) Day 4 – Goodbyes & Departure Proposed Contents of Publications All papers are carefully edited and double-blind peer reviewed. The book publication will be compiled first to ensure a coherent and representative selection of papers for the book; papers dealing with student representation with regard to specific policies or in specific governing structures as well as other papers will be prepared for publication in JSAA. Book (ca. 200 pages – ca. 15 chapters)  Preface  Editorial Introduction  Global and theoretical perspectives in context o African student representation in context: Global perspectives, regional and local realities; conceptual frameworks, normative foundations, empirical gaps  Comparative, country and institutional case studies o 10-15 case studies (representative of the main regions and institutional types)  Conclusion o Student representation in African higher education: emerging commonalities, differences, and challenges (including considering converneces and divergences at regional levels and in terms of institutional types) JSAA Special Issue (ca. 100 pages – ca. 6 articles) [www.jsaa.ac.za](http://www.jsaa.ac.za) \- Editorial Introduction incl. brief review of ‘state of the topic’ re: theory & research. \- Country and Institutional Case Studies (especially those that could not be included in the book due to overlaps) \- Student Representation in a National Policy sector/Body \- Student Finances, Quality Assurance, National Policy Advice; etc. \- Student Representation in a specific Institutional Governance Structures/Policy sector \- Council, Institutional Forum (SA), Senate \- Student governance sectors: Teaching & Learning, Residences, Finances, Discipline \- Reflective student affairs practioners’ and student leaders’ accounts This project is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. 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