Developing the notion of Ubuntu as African theory for social work practice

Developing the notion of Ubuntu as African theory for social work practice

Ubuntu is an African concept referring to humanness. It gives expression to deeply-held African ideals of one's personhood being rooted in one's interconnectedness with others. Social workers seeking to develop an African framework for decolonial social work practice turn repeatedly to ubu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social Work Vol. 55; no. 4; pp. 439 - 450
Main Author: van Breda, Adrian D.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Portuguese
Published: Department of Social Work, Stellenbosch University/ Universiteit Stellenbosch 2019
Subjects:
Social Work
Ubuntu
solidarity
decoloniality
social work
indigenous
African
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Summary:Ubuntu is an African concept referring to humanness. It gives expression to deeply-held African ideals of one's personhood being rooted in one's interconnectedness with others. Social workers seeking to develop an African framework for decolonial social work practice turn repeatedly to ubuntu for aid. But the term has, for the most part, been limited to the idea of mutual aid - people helping each other in a spirit of solidarity. This article endeavours to extend and deepen the ubuntu concept to strengthen its potential as a theory informing social work practice. This is done by interweaving other African ideas with ubuntu in three domains: ethics, sustainable development and ecospirituality
ISSN:2312-7198
DOI:10.15270/52-2-762