ABSTRACT The role of higher education in development and social mobility is now widely acknowledged and globally recognised. In South Africa in particular, graduates have greatly increased employment prospects. This paper takes up the importance of addressing South African university students’ multi-dimensional well-being in the light of global higher education development agendas. Considering poverty and development in the space of higher education – specifically in the lives of youth from low-income households in South Africa – I draw on two waves of life history data from undergraduate students at five universities. Material-cultural conditions for a threshold of well-being emerged powerfully in every single student narrative, indicating a need for some rethinking of capability deprivation and poverty. This paper conceptualises three broad hardship categories specific to higher education, considering the multiplicity of factors and complexity of low-income in student experiences and achievements. Even though the theoretical framing draws on Sen’s capability approach and its attractive moral perspective, the paper also foregrounds students’ material well-being as significant in understanding how education can advance change, and not only reproduce social inequalities. The challenge remains, how do we reconcile resources and capabilities, and to link freedoms to financial analysis in evaluating the lives that students value?

中文翻译：

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来自低收入家庭的南非大学生的幸福

摘要高等教育在发展和社会流动中的作用现已得到广泛认可和全球认可。特别是在南非，毕业生大大增加了就业前景。本文着眼于根据全球高等教育发展议程解决南非大学生多维幸福的重要性。考虑到高等教育空间中的贫困和发展，特别是南非低收入家庭的年轻人的生活，我借鉴了来自五所大学本科生的两波生活史数据。在每一个学生的叙述中，物质文化条件都对幸福的门槛产生了强烈影响，这表明需要对能力剥夺和贫困进行一些重新思考。考虑到多种因素以及低收入学生体验和成就的复杂性，本文将高等教育的三大困难类别概念化。即使理论框架借鉴了森的能力方法及其引人入胜的道德观，该论文还强调了学生的物质幸福感对理解教育如何推动变革，不仅重现社会不平等具有重要意义。挑战仍然存在，我们如何调和资源和能力，以及在评估学生重视的生活时将自由与财务分析联系起来？即使理论框架借鉴了森的能力方法及其引人入胜的道德观，该论文还强调了学生的物质幸福感对理解教育如何推动变革，不仅重现社会不平等具有重要意义。挑战仍然存在，我们如何调和资源和能力，以及在评估学生重视的生活时将自由与财务分析联系起来？即使理论框架借鉴了森的能力方法及其引人入胜的道德观，该论文还强调了学生的物质幸福感对理解教育如何推动变革，不仅重现社会不平等具有重要意义。挑战仍然存在，我们如何调和资源和能力，以及在评估学生重视的生活时将自由与财务分析联系起来？