Student Activism and Political Engagement in Higher Education

Student activism and political engagement in higher education encompass how students organise to influence institutional governance, shape policy and participate in broader democratic processes. This field examines the historical evolution of student mobilisations—from the mass protest movements of the 1960s to contemporary digital campaigns—as well as the structures through which students articulate political demands, such as student unions, sabbatical officers and informal networks. Research has highlighted the diversity of student actors, motives and strategies across different political and cultural contexts. In many settings, student engagement serves both as a training ground for democratic citizenship and as a catalyst for social change, linking campus concerns to national debates. At the same time, higher education has become a contested terrain, intersecting with neoliberal marketisation trends, identity politics and state regulation. Scholars have investigated intra-organisational dynamics within student bodies, the role of universities in fostering civic skills, and the impact of professionalisation on the autonomy of student representatives. The global significance of this research lies in its implications for democratic resilience, institutional accountability and youth participation. Practical applications include the design of more inclusive governance structures, support for capacity-building among student leaders and strategies for bridging campus activism with wider social movements.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Student Activism and Political Engagement in Higher Education publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in student activism and political engagement in higher education across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Student activism: Collective or individual actions by students aimed at promoting social or political change within or beyond campus.

Political engagement: The various ways individuals participate in political processes, including voting, campaigning, protesting and policy consultation.

Student government: Formal representative bodies within higher education institutions that advocate for student interests and participate in institutional decision-making.

Representative democracy: A system of governance where elected individuals act on behalf of constituents to make policy decisions.

Institutional work: The purposive actions of actors to create, maintain or disrupt formal and informal institutions.

References

1. Opening the black box of student government in authoritarian contexts: institutional work and intra-organisational conflicts in the Students’ Guild at Makerere University, Uganda. Higher Education (2024).
2. University as a Site to Learn Citizenship from the Perspectives of Students in the UK. Sustainability (2022).
3. Some Reflections on Student Movements of the 1960s and Early 1970s. Revista Crítica de Ciências Sociais (2008).
4. Students as ‘Animal Laborans’? Tracing Student Politics in a Marketised Higher Education Setting. Sociological Research Online (2020).
5. Students as political actors? Similarities and differences across six European nations. British Educational Research Journal (2020).