A critical analysis from the Global South on Student Affairs as a profession
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This article discusses the nature of the student affairs professionalization project, by analyzing the discourses evident in and legitimized through the Journal of Student Affairs in Africa (JSAA). The analysis is driven by three research questions: What is the extent of the journal's engagement with the terms profession, professionalism, professional, and professionalization? How are these terms used in the journal and how do these uses relate to the social justice imperative in Student Affairs and Services (SAS)? Overall, we find a stronger social justice discourse in comparison to the discourse on SAS as a profession. Furthermore, the professionalization discourse draws strongly on notions of professional traits and high-level knowledge and skills. Finally, this article considers opportunities for a scholarship on the development of SAS as a profession and further theoretical development of the Sociology of Professions (SoP) from the Global South.
DOI: 10.14749/32362569
Author: Human Sciences Research Council
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
Funder: Human Sciences Research Council
OpenAlex ID: W7162102587
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: