Building a People's University in South Africa chronicles the transformation of the University
of the Western Cape (UWC) from a so-called bush college originally designated under apartheid
for the education of Coloured (mixed-race) students to South Africa's first non-racial open
admissions tertiary institution. Viewing UWC as a microcosm of the national-liberation struggle
this book focuses on the limits of democratic reform in South Africa by examining the political
racial and ideological dynamics and tensions accompanying the demand for access to tertiary
education during the 1980s and early 1990s. A pivotal pedagogical analysis of the effects of
segregation on the language and identity development of black students is also included. The
transformation of UWC is relevant to readers outside of South Africa as well as the text
highlights the parallel themes underscoring post-secondary reforms in the United States.
