When Discourse Proves to Be Unsuccessful: The Case of Student Protest at South African Universities

Abstract

People, as members of a society and members of the intelligentsia, are, inevitably, involved in discourse and conversational systems which define their diverse positions of power in the discourse. The term “discourse” is used mostly to label the forms of representation and routines of language that yield certain reactions and customarily located denotations. This article examines the unsuccessful discourse attempts by university management, education authorities and students in South Africa during the #FeesMustFall campaign. It analyses the forms of engagement used by the parties involved in the campaign by means of Critical Discourse Analysis. It suggests that contradictory discourses may lead to conflict, instability and intolerance amongst the parties involved.

Keywords:

• discourse
• text
• discourse analysis
• communication
• meaning
• #FeesMustFall