Abstract
In this chapter, we are interested in the notion of revolution concerning practices of freedom, equality and novelty – that is, academic activism as ‘perplexities of new beginnings’ (Arendt H, On revolution. Penguin Books, London, 1963). Despite higher education suggesting a space where people might openly share and express their ideas without hesitancy and fear, we cannot assume that all universities provide open spaces for speech and disagreement, and we cannot assume that all people (academics, students, administrators) participate in this space equally or at all. The very pluralism of the public sphere means an array of diverse and conflicting views. It would seem, therefore, that if academic activism were to be revolutionary, it could not happen without aspiring to make the university a place where freedom holds sway. To think of academic activism as a revolutionary path towards what might not be possible, we contend, is to remain open to surprise and strangeness. Stated differently, to be open to the unexpected and the strange is to be concerned with what can yet unfold so that higher education institutions should remain open to adapt and respond to ongoing transformations.
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Davids, N., Waghid, Y. (2021). Revolutionary Action. In: Academic Activism in Higher Education. Debating Higher Education: Philosophical Perspectives, vol 5. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0340-2_6
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