ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the findings of an empirical study on the student collective response during the national protest movement known as Fees Must Fall (FMF) that took place in 2015 and 2016 in South Africa. It provides a contextual background by examining the implementation and impact of neoliberal reforms on the higher education sector, the emergence of the movement in this context, and its social bases and historical precedents. The post-apartheid state shifted its policy towards adopting corporate authoritarian values, thus enabling the spread of neoliberal practices in public HE. In response, the movement rose to defend democratic and social justice values in public higher education. This chapter explores the insights gained from in-depth interviews with FMF student activists, exploring (1) their perception and contestation of the neoliberalist shift, (2) the role of race, class, and gender in the movement, (3) the state’s repressive response including physical violence, the criminalisation of activists, and the suspension or expulsion of student activists from universities, and (4) the accomplishments and shortcomings of the movement and its progress over time. The chapter concludes by discussing the implications for an inclusive and context-specific understanding of neoliberal HE in the field of transformative global studies.
