Who is the Community
* There is the perception that white people live atomistic and layered lives in suburbs whilst black people live in uniform “communities” represented in urban areas by “leaders” and in rural areas by “chiefs, headmen or traditional leaders”.
* One should also not assume that working with “the community” means working with formerly disadvantaged people only. Amongst the many communities that higher education institutions serve are industry and government.
* One of the issues being debated at Rhodes at the moment as it works towards a more rigorous conceptualisation of community engagement is the geographical nature of its community. Some would argue for a focus on the needs of the immediate locality – others would include the Eastern Cape Province, still others, the African continent. Is the international community one of Rhodes’ communities of engagement?
