Daweti, Milly2017-08-302017-08-302007Daweti, M. (2007). Society and the multiple communities of higher education. Acta Academica, 39(3), 238-257.0587-2405 (print)2415-0479 (online)http://hdl.handle.net/11660/6713English: Professional interests, affiliations, roles, and conditions of service that identify and separate groups have long been established within university traditions. As new social and institutional imperatives emerge, however, professional comfort zones are disturbed. Traditional communities of practice are gradually becoming more open and more participatory. This paper investigates the possibilities and complexities of community building from national and institutional perspectives. The communities created by means of curriculum design decisions, conversations between authors and readers of teaching and learning texts, and knowledge domains which are either legitimised or rejected will also be explored. The University of South Africa (UNISA) will be used as an example to illustrate some of the challenges presented by the changing conditions of institutions and society.Afrikaans: Professionele belangstellings, persoonlike verbintenisse, rolle en diensvoorwaardes wat groepe identifiseer en afsonder, is lank reeds deel van universitêre tradisies. Professionele gemaksones word egter versteur namate nuwe sosiale en institusionele eise na vore tree. Tradisionele praktykgemeenskappe word toenemend oop en deelnemend. In hierdie artikel word die moontlikhede en probleme wat hierdie gemeenskappe in die gesig staar belig vanuit nasionale en institusionele hoeke. Ondersoek word ingestel na gemeenskappe wat op grond van kurrikulumontwerpbesluite die lig sien, gesprekke wat plaasvind tussen outeurs en lesers van studietekste, asook kennisdomeine waaraan legitimiteit verleen word of wat verwerp word. Daar word spesifiek na die Universiteit van Suid-Afrika (UNISA) verwys ter illustrasie van sommige van die uitdagings van veranderende omstandighede by onderriginstellings en die samelewing.enChanging conditionsInstitutions and societyUniversitiesCommunity building in South AfricaArticleUniversity of the Free State