Open AccessReinventing South African Management Students as Stewards of Democratization: A Critical Pedagogy Perspective
Author(s) -
Rennie Naidoo
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international journal of management and sustainability
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2306-9856
pISSN - 2306-0662
DOI - 10.18488/journal.11/2013.2.9/11.9.150.155
Subject(s) - democratization , democracy , custodians , sociology , ideology , critical pedagogy , critical management studies , perspective (graphical) , citizenship , pedagogy , political science , engineering ethics , social science , archaeology , artificial intelligence , politics , computer science , law , history , engineering
This paper challenges orthodox higher management education provided in South Africa. The reflections explored here are of a democratic and ethical nature: Democratic as it promotes a more inclusive concept of management education; and ethical because the new principles informing management action should explicitly address the welfare of the disenfranchised. Drawing from Freire’s critical pedagogy, this paper proposes a reorientation of managers as an integral part of citizenship and by implication custodians of our democracy. Five recommendations for future management education are offered: (1) involvement in academic activism, (2) re-presenting ethics as an integral core, (3) promoting ‘flexible’ ideological perspectives (4) engaging in contextually relevant research, and (5) participating in community projects.