The #Fees Must Fall Movement: “Disruptive Power” and the Politics of Student-Worker Alliances at the University of the Free State (2015–2016)

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe core activities associated with the #Fees Must Fall (FMF) movement in South Africa may be understood as forms of “disruptive power” (Piven [2006]. Challenging Authority: How Ordinary People Change America. Plymouth: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers). By illuminating the fluid nature of student–worker solidarity in the related #Outsourcing Must Fall (OMF) campaign at the University of the Free State (UFS), the article argues that the specific historical context and politics that underpin “disruptive power” should be given greater emphasis. Drawing on original empirical research including in-depth interviews and observation, the article explores two major demonstrations at UFS: its shutdown in late October 2015 and the occupation of a rugby field (during a homecoming game) by black students and workers in February 2016. The findings reveal that the ability of students and workers to disrupt the normal activities of others on campus, to put universities on hold, enables them to access power. It is concluded that “disruptive power” remains a method which students and workers should continue to employ at South African universities in order that the gains made by both FMF and OMF are extended, rather than reversed.