Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The aim of my research is twofold: to analyze the discourses of affective trauma, injustice and identity in the personal language narratives of the Academic Literacy (AL) students enrolled in University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) Bachelor of Education Degree. The other major objective is to examine these discourses through an autoethnographic and egalitarian lens by drawing from the students’ real-life worlds via their respective narratives, classroom observations, interviews and survey. Through the analyses of their stories and the other data instruments, my study examines in particular the relationship between what is expected of them academically and the life-worlds that preceded their entry to the university.