The third issue of PiE for 2009 is the second general issue of the year. The interested reader will, as usual, encounter a fascinating collection of national, international, transdisciplinary and inter-disciplinary contributions. Separately, these contributions represent the fruits of hard work and dedication. Together, they provide an impressive collection of idiosyncratic perspectives on impor-tant issues in education — 'idiosyncratic' because the contributions stem from the authors' own perspectives, which are, of necessity, bound in a unique location, time and space. The contributors have once again crafted their contributions sensitively in quantitative and (predominantly) qualita-tive research traditions. Viewed through these lenses, postmodern educational events can be under-stood so much better. As readers will see, the topics covered in this issue extend across different knowledge domains. The contributors have succeeded not only in identifying gaps or silences in the existing literature but, more importantly, in addressing these silences. Since PiE prides itself on being a channel of critical inquiry, we encourage critical voices to stimulate debate on important issues. There are, after all, no straightforward 'answers', and readers are invited to make up their own minds on these issues. Our contributors are attached to different institutions in South Africa and abroad, and the authorship is therefore diverse in terms of gender, age, institution and nationality. We are particu-larly pleased about the author spread and the rising percentage of younger black writers who have selected PiE as their publication outlet of choice. We nonetheless wish to repeat our invitation to established and emerging researchers to use PiE as a publication forum. What can the reader expect in this issue? In the leading contribution, The public university in South Africa: philosophical remarks on the notion of 'elitist knowledge' production, Yusef Waghid (2009) investigates the functions of the university in relation to Habermas' classification of knowledge. With Derrida's reflections on the university as his frame of reference, he reformulates a notion of the responsible university and links this perspective to his own institution's plea for a university of hope. In his words: "I am reminded by Julia Kristeva's compelling analysis of hope as a 'joyful revolt' ", that is, a transformation in our critical thinking is needed up to the point of inventing new ways of living that are embedded in a "concern for others, and a consideration for their ill-being" (Kristeva, 2002:66). In a day and age when the notion of 'concern for others' is embraced globally and passionately, this article is a must-read for all academics — not only in South Africa. In the second contribution, Rethinking academic literacy for educators: towards a relevant pedagogy, Emmanuel Mgqwashu (2009) argues that few South African institutions of higher learning currently stand much chance of achieving their goals, despite their open door policy and despite the fact that all students across racial lines can study anywhere they like. Furthermore, he believes that South Africa is faced with the challenge of undoing school classroom practices that evolved in western education systems to reward the elite and marginalise the majority. Using Grounded Theory as his research methodology and documentary evidence as a research instrument, he shows how the Faculty of Education at the University of the Witwatersrand has designed a course and implemented strategies to redress this elitist approach. He concludes that pedagogy has the potential to facilitate epistemological access that is relevant to student teachers.