From University Democratisation to Managerialism: The changing legitimation of university governance and the place of students

Abstract

This article examines the implications of the rise of managerialism for student participation in university governance. It explores this theoretically by proposing a matrix of ideal‐type regimes of student governance based on the work of Hyden, Olsen and others. The working of this typology is illustrated in a case study of the student political dynamics involved in governance changes at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in the decade after the transition from apartheid to democracy. The study finds that after two waves of university democratisation, UCT experienced a rise of managerialism which entailed incisive changes in student–university relations. Changes could be observed at various levels, including the emergence of a de‐politicised form of student activism and the adoption of a consumerist student political discourse. It is argued that the rise of managerialism thus precipitated a momentous change in the legitimation of student participation in university governance.