ABSTRACT
This chapter examines an important element of becoming an agent of change and discusses how individuals in the study came to take actions aimed at transformation. The chapter discusses how the reformulation of interest which is brought on by an individual’s critical personal engagement with his/her context may provide one explanation for taking actions that engender transformation as opposed to individuals who do nothing or reproduce the status quo. I define the reformulation of interest as arising out of one’s critical engagement with one’s context. The process of such engagement enables the individual to see beyond their experiences and understand things differently. This opens up the possibility of taking action towards transformation. In a society like South Africa where race and gender, for the most part, structure experiences and understanding, seeing beyond one’s own experiences and being able to see the ‘other’ is especially significant. I posit that taking action towards changing rigid structures requires a critical engagement with one’s social context, as well as an understanding that their interests are aligned with transformation of the system rather than its preservation. It is this critical engagement and shift in the individual’s interpretive background that enables the individual to come to consciousness which I discuss in Chapter 5.
