A New Compass: Navigating Through the Many Faces of Inequality in the Global South

By Graciela Tonon

The definitions of inequalities

The concept of inequality has been evolving over the last few decades, it acquired importance during the 1990s and expanded during the 21st century, with a preeminence in the economic field. From the end of the 20^th century to the beginning of the 21st century the study of inequalities was gaining importance not only from the economic dimension but also from the social, political, gender and ethnic dimensions. There have been different authors who have proposed different theoretical conceptualizations of inequalities. Today we can speak about inter-category and intra-category inequalities, horizontal inequalities, capabilities and inequalities, relational inequalities and intersection inequalities. At present, there is some consensus regarding the multiple dimensions of inequality: residential location, access to basic services, individual characteristics, gender, age, levels of education, opportunities, and access to the labour market, among others.

What are the inequalities in Higher education?

Higher education inequalities are the inequalities we can identify in the field of Higher education, and it is necessary to study them from a multidimensional perspective. There are different types of Higher education inequalities considering: the opportunities in access to education, inequalities in gender, internal inequalities referring to people with characteristics that put them at a disadvantage within the educational institution itself, structural inequalities that refer to the inequalities that occur in the field of educational institutions in relation to the curriculum, the administration, the campus life, the physical environment. And we can also identify inequalities between different countries or regions in relation to education. But in the 21st century, it is necessary to recognize the emergence of a new form of inequality in the Higher education field namely, digital inequality.

The new role of the university in the Global south: a reflection from the perspective of well-being, capabilities and citizenship

Higher education inequalities are experienced in universities. The current role of universities, especially in the Global south, has been reconfigured in recent decades in relation to the transformations of society and the subjects that compose it, thus expanding their traditional role as producer and reproducer of scientific knowledge, to become a significant social and political space in university students’ lives. The old idea of the school as a second home that always existed in the countries of the Global south, today extends to the university. And so there are groups of young people who do not find a place of their own in their families or in the neighbourhood where they live, or have lost their families or are separated from them, who do not have a stable job and see remote possibilities of getting one on their horizon, who find the university a social institution of reference, given that they attend there daily, establishing social and emotional relationships, have friends and connecting with others in social support networks. Not only do they go to the university to study and learn, but they go to claim their rights and needs, as they develop their daily lives as persons. In this sense, we consider the well-being and capabilities of students, and we can also say that in the Global South, education is one of the instances of building citizenship.

Higher education inequalities in the Global south: a new classification

We propose a new classification of inequalities in Higher education in the countries of the Global south organized in two dimensions: inequalities in relation to people’s life situations and experiences, and inequalities related to university institutions. In addition, we present the relationship between the proposals made on target 4.3 of SDG 4, related to equal access for all to the university. A definition of inequalities in Higher education in the countries of the Global south must consider the social, cultural, economic and political particularities of these countries, which clearly differ from the characteristics of the countries of the Global north, in which some of these characteristics are overcome, although inequalities in the field of Higher education still exists everywhere.

Conclusion

In this line of thought and to conclude, it is necessary to point out that in the third decade of the 21st century, progress must be made on the path of overcoming inequalities in Higher education, particularly in the Global south, as well as inequality in general, if we wish to have an egalitarian society willing to protect and promote well-being and equality in the valuable capabilities of all its citizens.

The above reflection arises from chapter 1 entitle: Redefining Inequalities in Higher education in the Global south written by Graciela Tonon, the editor of the book Reconceptualizing Inequalities in Higher Education in the Global south: Capabilities, SDGs and Wellbeing.