Universities’ historical legacies, power dynamics, and institutional norms continue to define who belongs, who succeeds, and whose knowledge is valued within higher education spaces. This edited volume explores the resultant embedded cultures shaping universities and their role in society.

 

By examining the “belly” of the university — its inner workings, shadow structures and practices of normalisation — the volume illuminates how these cultures reproduce inequality and exclusion, even amidst transformation agendas. It also considers how academics, students, managers and administrators navigate, contest, and reimagine these spaces in pursuit of justice, equity, and deeper transformation.

 

Combining insights from South Africa, Nigeria and the USA, the volume invites reflection on how universities can become socially nourishing institutions.