South African post-apartheid context : self-reflection of student leaders' role identity in a multicultural context

Abstract

Since South Africa’s first democratic election in 1994, the student leadership profile has changed dramatically at historically white universities (HWUs). Given the postapartheid South African context where this study was conducted, and how participants navigate multiple role identities within a multicultural setting, the article elucidates student leaders’ self-reflection on their role identity and draws on identity theory from the discipline of social psychology as its theoretical framework, while referencing the roles model from leadership studies.