Dr Mervyn Coetzee’s journey has come full circle: from pool cleaner to PhD Graduate and, now, published author.
Trauma, Injustice and Identity: Investigating an Egalitarian and Autoethnographic Approach to Analysing Students’ Personal Language Narratives by Dr Mervyn Coetzee and Prof Sivakumar Sivasubramaniam
His life story is one of resilience, and he has drawn on all his experiences to co-author the book Trauma, Injustice and Identity: Investigating an Egalitarian and Autoethnographic Approach to Analysing Students’ Personal Language Narratives.
Coetzee is a Senior Lecturer and Learning and Teaching Specialist at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and is passionate about education and student success.
Raised by his mother in Bonteheuwel after his father’s passing, Coetzee and his five siblings grew up surrounded by poverty. He worked as a casual cleaner to support his family. Despite facing hardships, including gang violence and personal struggles with self-esteem due to a congenital condition, he remained determined to change his future.
“I was born with a condition called ‘polydactyly’, meaning that I have two conjoined thumbs on each hand for a total of 12 fingers,” said Coetzee.
As a result of the condition he was bullied growing up, but this helped shape the resilient adult who would later become Dr Mervyn Coetzee.
Dr Coetzee spent some time working at a summer camp in the USA. While there was no direct conncection to education, he said it was an eye-opening experience when he addressed a crowd of more than 300 American youth.
“I was just about to ask them for a volunteer, and every single hand went up, saying, pick me, pick me, pick me, and that's when I realised something is not right with this picture in my own country,” he said.
The path to his PhD was not without hurdles, and when things didn’t work out with his first supervisor, Dr Coetzee said he reached out to UWC colleagues, who led him to Prof Sivakumar Sivasubramaniam.
“The meeting with Siva was serendipitous. I was struggling with my Ph.D. and my supervisor at the time was ready to throw in the towel. I received a message from Siva, whom I had never met, and he said: ‘Hi Merv, when you get to Cape Town, let us meet to discuss how we are going to get your trophy.’ From that moment, I knew I was in the right hands. Siva became my new Ph.D. supervisor, took me under his wing, adopted me as his God son and guided me to graduation in May 2021. Not long after that, I began to encourage myself to co-author a book based upon my thesis.”
Prof Sivakumar Sivasubramaniam and Dr Mervyn Coetzee, co-authors of Trauma, Injustice and Identity: Investigating an Egalitarian and Autoethnographic Approach to Analysing Students’ Personal Language Narratives.
Later, Dr Coetzee’s experience and observations about teaching and learning in SA would lead him to share insights in his academic work and the book he would co-author with Prof. Sivasubramaniam.
Dr Coetzee’s PhD research focused on trauma in learning and students’ struggles with self-expression in the classroom. His thesis, which explored more than 500 personal language narratives, received high praise from examiners and was recommended for publication as a book.
This was confirmed when, in 2021, Dr Coetzee’s story was highlighted during his graduation, and he had the opportunity to be a guest on a Cape Town Radio Talk Show. The presenter also encouraged him to write a book. Coetzee didn’t ignore this second sign and got to work.
“The book articulates very under-researched areas in learning and teaching: the discourses of effect and affective trauma in the classroom, and its impact on students’ sense of themselves, and subsequently, their apparent reticence in the lecture halls and eventually in their academic performance.”
For many students, the language of instruction, English, is their second language, which Coetzee said can hamper their success.
“On a practical level, the book explores very candidly why many students lack self-confidence, have low self-esteem, and may be reticent in the classroom. Additionally, the authors encourage the creation of spaces in which students and staff may engage with these critical areas in authentic, transparent, and collaborative ways.”
Trauma, Injustice and Identity: Investigating an Egalitarian and Autoethnographic Approach to Analysing Students’ Personal Language Narratives is available to purchase online HERE
Trauma, Injustice and Identity: Investigating an Egalitarian and Autoethnographic Approach to Analysing Students’ Personal Language Narratives by Dr Mervyn Coetzee and Prof Sivakumar SivasubramaniamCoetzee is a Senior Lecturer and Learning and Teaching Specialist at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and is passionate about education and student success.
Raised by his mother in Bonteheuwel after his father’s passing, Coetzee and his five siblings grew up surrounded by poverty. He worked as a casual cleaner to support his family. Despite facing hardships, including gang violence and personal struggles with self-esteem due to a congenital condition, he remained determined to change his future.
“I was born with a condition called ‘polydactyly’, meaning that I have two conjoined thumbs on each hand for a total of 12 fingers,” said Coetzee.
As a result of the condition he was bullied growing up, but this helped shape the resilient adult who would later become Dr Mervyn Coetzee.
Dr Coetzee spent some time working at a summer camp in the USA. While there was no direct conncection to education, he said it was an eye-opening experience when he addressed a crowd of more than 300 American youth.
“I was just about to ask them for a volunteer, and every single hand went up, saying, pick me, pick me, pick me, and that's when I realised something is not right with this picture in my own country,” he said.
The path to his PhD was not without hurdles, and when things didn’t work out with his first supervisor, Dr Coetzee said he reached out to UWC colleagues, who led him to Prof Sivakumar Sivasubramaniam.
“The meeting with Siva was serendipitous. I was struggling with my Ph.D. and my supervisor at the time was ready to throw in the towel. I received a message from Siva, whom I had never met, and he said: ‘Hi Merv, when you get to Cape Town, let us meet to discuss how we are going to get your trophy.’ From that moment, I knew I was in the right hands. Siva became my new Ph.D. supervisor, took me under his wing, adopted me as his God son and guided me to graduation in May 2021. Not long after that, I began to encourage myself to co-author a book based upon my thesis.”
Prof Sivakumar Sivasubramaniam and Dr Mervyn Coetzee, co-authors of Trauma, Injustice and Identity: Investigating an Egalitarian and Autoethnographic Approach to Analysing Students’ Personal Language Narratives.Dr Coetzee’s PhD research focused on trauma in learning and students’ struggles with self-expression in the classroom. His thesis, which explored more than 500 personal language narratives, received high praise from examiners and was recommended for publication as a book.
This was confirmed when, in 2021, Dr Coetzee’s story was highlighted during his graduation, and he had the opportunity to be a guest on a Cape Town Radio Talk Show. The presenter also encouraged him to write a book. Coetzee didn’t ignore this second sign and got to work.
“The book articulates very under-researched areas in learning and teaching: the discourses of effect and affective trauma in the classroom, and its impact on students’ sense of themselves, and subsequently, their apparent reticence in the lecture halls and eventually in their academic performance.”
For many students, the language of instruction, English, is their second language, which Coetzee said can hamper their success.
“On a practical level, the book explores very candidly why many students lack self-confidence, have low self-esteem, and may be reticent in the classroom. Additionally, the authors encourage the creation of spaces in which students and staff may engage with these critical areas in authentic, transparent, and collaborative ways.”
Trauma, Injustice and Identity: Investigating an Egalitarian and Autoethnographic Approach to Analysing Students’ Personal Language Narratives is available to purchase online HERE
