Higher Education Champions and Reciprocal Community Partnership.

Autor/inn/en	Ntsele, Busisiwe Octavia; Ghorashi, Halleh
Titel	Higher Education Champions and Reciprocal Community Partnership.
Quelle	In: Social Inclusion, (2026) 14, 20 S. PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Link als defekt meldenVerfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2183-2803
DOI	10.17645/si.11574
Schlagwörter	Soziale Gerechtigkeit; Hochschulbildung; Exklusion
Abstract	Academics globally have been called to investigate and contribute to addressing growing structural inequality, social exclusion, and disconnection. In recent decades, critically engaged research with a social justice orientation has emerged, aiming to bridge scholarly inquiry with community accountability. Within this context, two interconnected areas have gained prominence in academia: diversifying curricula and forming meaningful partnerships with disadvantaged communities to co-create knowledge and transform unequal structures in universities and society. We argue that such partnerships require a critique of and commitment to a "multidirectional flow of knowledge," one that recognizes the complex, multifaceted nature of knowledge that moves in different directions. Using Meraka Village as an example of a university-community partnership in Bloemfontein, South Africa, we demonstrate the value of co-creative partnerships. This partnership prioritizes mutual learning, equal collaboration, and equitable sharing of benefits. We highlight how co-learning - based on integrating indigenous and academic knowledges - has enabled the innovation and transformation necessary for reimagining community structures. Through this, we argue for amplifying the role of higher education champions as agents of change and for applying a power-sensitive lens when engaging with disadvantaged communities in transformative work.
Erfasst von	GESIS - Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften, Mannheim
Update	2026/3