In contemporary times of globalisation, massification of higher education and economic, social and environmental challenges, there has been renewed debate internationally on the purposes of higher education. In South Africa too, higher education’s role in society has been thrown into sharp focus by the student protests of 2015–2016. Walker and Fongwa’s well-timed book tackles this pressing question of higher education’s role in society. The book has its origin in an international project on higher education and employability, and presents the South African part of the study, based on case studies of four universities that represent a range of institutional types. Drawing on interviews and surveys with students, lecturers, support officers and employers, the study uses qualitative and quantitative data to build a picture of how employability is perceived, and what universities are doing to develop graduates – not merely for the workplace but also for broader critical citizenship.