“Not the limit of our imagination”: exploring student advocacy discourses in support of universal higher education
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Date
2022-05-03
Authors
Milln, Danielle
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Abstract
Though higher education should be accessible to all on the basis of merit, as per international human rights law, neoliberal policies enacted by provincial governments increasingly worsen financial access to post-secondary education (PSE) in Canada. The ongoing defunding of institutions and student aid are in direct conflict with this right, and represent a significant social justice concern. The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), the largest centralized student advocacy body in Canada, fights against neoliberal policies that produce and reinforce marginalization of low-income students through a collective social movement in favor of universal PSE. Their lobbying and advocacy are informed by discourses performed on their website and by their members; this study investigates how these discourse frame and inform the CFS’s movement towards equitable realization of the right to equitable PSE. Social semiotics (Hodge & Kress, 1988) and discourse analysis (Jørgensen & Phillips, 2002) are used as methodological frameworks to unpack how the discourse performed by the CFS in their electronic publications and by their members further their collective advocacy. Discussion of how these discourses could be used to improve PSE accessibility and inclusivity in Canada, along with suggested areas of future research, conclude this study.
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human rights, discourse analysis, higher education, social justice, student advocacy