Pretorius, Deon (1993) The social origins of failure: morphogenesis of educational agency in the Cape Colony. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This study is an investigation into the failure of dominant social agents to achieve social objectives through control over the educational sphere. The Morphogenetic Approach, developed by British sociologist Margaret Archer, is utilized to explore the educational agency of dominant groups in the Cape Colony over the period from 1652 to approximately 1860. The general objective is to gain greater insight into the complex relations between, on the one hand, structural and ideological factors, and on the other hand, features of social agents as collectivities who hold particular ideas and institutional positions in relation to the education service provided. This information is, then, utilized to explore the morphogenetic origins of failure, i.e. as emerging from the complex interaction between parts of the social system.
This study makes a contribution by applying the morphogenetic perspective in a new context; utilizing the pre-colonial and other subsequent historical context to explore the pre-conditioning effect of past interaction on later interaction; revisiting well-known material to arrive at new conclusions from the morphogenetic perspective and introducing the morphogenesis / transformation of agency as source of failure; and it considers the implied strategic considerations for successful agency.
The methodology of the study was determined by the nature of the morphogenetic perspective. In the way utilized here, the morphogenetic approach was a method for analyzing the relationships between components of a social system.
The study contains two major divisions: Section A contains the development of the theoretical equipment for the application on the Cape Colony in Section B. The theoretical work involves separate consideration being given to the role of overall social features, institutional structure, ideational features and features of agent in the success/failure of agency. Particular attention is given to the changes that occur among the above and how it serves to explain the failure of agency.
The general conclusion arrived at is that failure of agency is inevitable, if by success is meant the complete victory of one agent over others in terms of the achievement of the objectives set by such an agent at the outset of the interaction between the groups involved. Morphogenetic processes are responsible for modifications in both the context and the groups, and even the most powerful dominant agent cannot prevent the unintended outcome of interaction over a prolonged period of time.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	L Education > LC Special aspects of education
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Educational sociology, Comparative education, Education -- Cape Colony -- History -- Sociological aspects, Ideology
Official Date:	November 1993
Dates:	Date Event November 1993 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Sociology
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Archer, Margaret Scotford
Sponsors:	Human Sciences Research Council ; University of Port Elizabeth ; Rectors’ Fund
Extent:	xviii, 438 leaves
Language:	eng

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