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<p>Universities in many African countries have become contested spaces of negotiation where debates about same-sex relationships, morality, law, and inclusion are increasingly visible yet tightly regulated. This study provides novel empirical evidence from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and advances a conceptual framework of universities as “constrained negotiating spaces” where social work occupies an ambivalent position between professional ethics and dominant cultural/legal norms. Drawing on a cross-sectional questionnaire survey (<i>n</i> = 202, social sciences faculty), the study analyzes perceptions specifically of same-sex relationships (not broader “sexual diversity” including bisexuality/transgender identities). Findings indicate high awareness (84.7%) but near-total opposition (95.5%), shaped by peer norms/religion. Social work emerges primarily as counseling/moral guidance rather than advocacy. This UNN case illuminates dynamics resonant with other African campuses (Ghana/Kenya/South Africa studies) while highlighting social work’s ethical tensions in legally hostile contexts.</p>

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Campus Culture, Same-Sex Relationships, and the Ambivalent Role of Social Work: Evidence from a Nigerian University

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月7日

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  • Ngozi Stella Udechukwu,
  • Uju Jane Ikeh,
  • Abigail Agbon Azorondu

摘要

Universities in many African countries have become contested spaces of negotiation where debates about same-sex relationships, morality, law, and inclusion are increasingly visible yet tightly regulated. This study provides novel empirical evidence from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and advances a conceptual framework of universities as “constrained negotiating spaces” where social work occupies an ambivalent position between professional ethics and dominant cultural/legal norms. Drawing on a cross-sectional questionnaire survey (n = 202, social sciences faculty), the study analyzes perceptions specifically of same-sex relationships (not broader “sexual diversity” including bisexuality/transgender identities). Findings indicate high awareness (84.7%) but near-total opposition (95.5%), shaped by peer norms/religion. Social work emerges primarily as counseling/moral guidance rather than advocacy. This UNN case illuminates dynamics resonant with other African campuses (Ghana/Kenya/South Africa studies) while highlighting social work’s ethical tensions in legally hostile contexts.