| Sumario: | South Africa's public universities have trodden a long and winding path over the last century shaped by vastly different political environments. In the last 30 years they have experienced continuous instability and what can be considered the loss of social ownership. Being global and local in scale, they must contend with forces that are particular to the national context and that influence higher education and science more generally. These forces contribute to shaping the universities' relationship with society and, in particular, to their social value. This essay discusses what can be done to reignite a national conversation about their purpose and their relationship with society.
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