ABSTRACT
The research for Voices of Conflict was conducted at a critical juncture in the history of South African higher education. At the time of this research in 1996, the National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE) had just released its report, detailing the inequities of the current system of higher education and offering recommendations for its transformation. The findings of this commission formed the foundation for the Green and White Papers on higher education and subsequently the Higher Education Act that was passed at the end of 1997. The process leading to the enactment of the Higher Education Act was characterized by earnest deliberations across various sectors and constituencies of South African higher education. These discussions were unprecedented in the recent history of this country in that they included groups of people who were historically on opposing ends of the political, social, and economic spectrum-students, faculty, administrators, community people, and politicians. The spirit underlying these debates was to be as inclusive as possible and to forge new collaborative alliances between stakeholders who were historically at loggerheads.
