The ruptures in our rainbow: Reflections on teaching and learning during #RhodesMustFall

In this paper, I attempt to explore and theorize the “ruptures” in our rainbow nation through foregrounding higher education in general and teaching and learning practices in particular. I rely on Morrow (2009), in particular his intellectual and philosophical contributions on epistemological access to make two contributions. Firstly, I argue that the South African higher education urgently needs to re-conceptualize the theoretical understanding of “access” beyond formal, simplistics notions. Secondly, I hope to show how an re-adoption of Morrow’s understanding of epistemological access can enable progressive engagements between academics and students in both having respect for and a critical understanding of the different disciplines and knowledge(s) in higher education. I suggest that a return to Morrow’s idea of epistemological access will not only enable us to make the make the necessary “repairs” to our rainbow nation but it will also enable us to better respond to the progressive and innovative calls in teaching and learning that contemporary South African higher education greatly demands of us.