Redefining Student Activism: Student-Participant Perspectives

What are students’ diverse perspectives on student activism and its effectiveness, compared to face-to-face activism? As the research aims to investigate students’ perspectives and experiences for an account of the potential of student activism, both in-person and social media-based student activism, in the enhancement of student well-being and agency, I used in-depth interviews to give student-participants a voice to express how activism enhances the formation of political capabilities and functionings for justice, a more robust democracy, and change within the university. Student-participants are the ordinary students whom the SRC and activist-organisers seek to mobilise for change. The aim is to present a descriptive analysis of student-participant struggles for justice. Their perspectives are important in understanding how they relate to the SRC and organisers who represent them in organising activist activities. Student-participants are the groundswell on which the SRC and organisers generate ideas and define minimum aspirations, which they regard as fostering justice within the university. Additionally, their participation has the potential to give credit to both SRC and organiser calls for transformational change. We saw from the SRC and organisers’ chapters the importance of social media as an informational tool that complements face-to-face activism; this same perspective emerged from the students. While social media is a valuable information tool, some participants highlighted that it allows them to wage war against injustices on two fronts, face-to-face and online. This they argued, acts in their favour as it gives their voices an opportunity to be heard beyond the university gates. Thus, according to their voices, social media offers a platform for their voices to be heard.