Reterritorialisation of the transformative power of self-care activities: Students’ wellness

Abstract

Students including health sciences at universities that appear to subscribe to neoliberal logic are at risk for social injustices and inequalities, anxiety, depression, academic demands and unethical activities. There has been little discussion about students’ self-care and well-being in and beyond the neoliberal universities. This article explored the transformative power of self-care activities on the wellness and learning of health sciences students at a university in the Western Cape, South Africa. A qualitative exploratory-descriptive research approach was conducted with 10 health sciences students purposively recruited from a South African university. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Three themes identified from the analysis were: students’ understanding of self-care, engagement in self-care activities and the transformative power of self-care activities. The key barriers to engagement in self-care activities were academic demands and unsafe environments; however, the students had to make time and effort.

Contribution: This article makes several noteworthy contributions to how self-care horizontal and complicated conversations can be infused into health sciences education and work-integrated learning contexts to heal and transform the wounds of neoliberal logic at universities. Additionally, we propound the applicability of ubuntu currere (ubuntu curriculum) and wellness as liberating frameworks that can be used for reterritorialisation and reconceptualisation of self-care and well-being to cultivate health sciences students’ professional and personal development.