Kumalo, S.H. (Siseko)2022-10-142022-10-142021-03Kumalo, S.H. 2021, 'Contestations of visibility - a critique of democratic violence', South African Journal of Higher Education, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 143-160, doi : 10.20853/35-1-4412.1753-5913 (online)1011-3487 (print)10.20853/35-1-4412https://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/87733Analysing the contestation that was inaugurated by the #RhodesMustFall movement, I think through the ways in which it – this contestation – signalled an attempt at reclaiming Black ontology in the Historically White University (HWU). Tracing the uses of what has been defined as democratic violence, I showcase how this response is misplaced owing to the neglect that has characterised the Black Archive in the University. In simple terms, my argument makes a case for the uses of alternative responses as opposed to democratic violence. This is rooted in a desire to see Black ontology treated with the deference deserving of this category of being, in a space that has been historically defined by the denigration of Blackness, i.e. the HWU. I begin by defining democratic violence for the purposes of setting-up my critique of this response. In the second move, I showcase how an alternative can be sourced from the Black Archive, which has been neglected. I conclude the article by highlighting how a Fanonian conception of violence is misplaced in our context.en© Siseko H. Kumalo. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.LanguagePedagogyEthicsAcademic freedomOntological legitimacyHistorically white university (HWU)Article