Reimagining Dignified Inclusive Higher Education: System-Level Strategies of a South African University

This case study draws from the macro psychology perspective and intergroup contact theory to identify the system-level strategies employed by the management of a historically White South African University to promote intergroup contact and inclusion between racially and ethnically diverse students. Different sources of data were collected, including N=8 open-ended interviews with purposively selected managers and representatives who played key roles in diversity management and transformation, website documents, shared organizational documents, visual materials (e.g., photos), and the main researcher’s field notes. Data analysis followed the methodology of situational analysis, which is an extension of Grounded Theory. The strategies identified displayed dynamic interrelationships across the different levels, namely, system-level (macro level), group-relational (meso level), and intra-individual (micro level). Overall, system-level intergroup contact practices between racially and ethnically diverse groups are the most effective when deliberate, value-driven, and supported by all the departments within the institution. Institutional practices that allocate resources to encourage and support student-led initiatives serve to advance the representation and empowerment of marginalized outgroups. In turn, this allows for active engagement between students and management to be more centered on the students’ needs to improve the campus culture. This study endeavors to provide learning points from a post-conflict South African context that remains relatively underexplored in the reimagining of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) from a macro level and intergroup contact perspective. South Africa can offer valuable insights to the Global North regarding best management practices of DEI focused on promoting intercultural contact and social inclusion.