The social construction of student leadership in a South African University

Abstract

Student leadership in South African (SA) universities has undergone radical change since the transformation of Higher Education in post-apartheid South Africa and this has consequently resulted in shifts in priorities for student leaders. In addition, this leadership can be viewed as occurring in multiple forms in SA universities and in the literature about student leadership in SA. Furthermore; student leadership comprises different and more diverse demographics now in the post-apartheid era. Thus the concept of student leadership may be constituted differently for different student leaders in SA universities today. This research has been undertaken to explore the latter in a particular SA university with the specific aim of studying the social construction of student leadership in a SA university. A social constructionist lens was adopted as the underpinning worldview to adopt a pluralistic qualitative approach in this psychosocial research. Data were gathered using a social dream drawing technique, accessing information on three levels: conscious, subconscious and unconscious. The findings express the fusion of discourse analysis and a psychodynamic interpretation employed in the data analysis. The major findings suggest a two-way interaction between identity in student leadership and relational dynamics in student leadership: these set up a conversation about the anxiety of working with diversity dynamics. Therefore the social construction of student leadership in a SA university has been found to be a space for a conversation about the said anxiety. Metaphors employing Mandela and Moses as leadership symbols have been related to psychodynamic themes such as narcissistic injury and stillbirth and grief in terms of the conversation about the given anxiety amongst such leaders in a SA university. The research makes a methodological contribution by recommending pluralism as a favourable research approach in the study of student leadership. In addition, recommendations for practice such as the implementation of student leadership schools and the incorporation of the relevant psychology professionals to intervene from an adjustment perspective are proposed to inform consulting psychologists and other relevant practitioners in terms of fit for purpose interventions that are linked to student leadership in SA universities.