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

Adrian Van Breda

doi:10.15270/55-4-762

Abstract

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

Highlights

The African construct ‘ubuntu’ has garnered increasing recognition in academic literature over the past years, arguably as part of a broader move towards foregrounding African constructions of the world and unravelling the legacy of colonialism (Ndlovu-Gatsheni, 2018)
When ubuntu is used in social work writing (e.g. Sekudu, 2019), it is typically used in a rather descriptive way to support the argument that people need to come together in mutually supportive and respectful ways
In this article I aim to make a start on theorising ubuntu by stretching the concept more widely than it has been to date, to focus on present social relations, and to include a focus on respectful relationships with wider and more diverse groups of others, accountability to past and future generations, and a commitment to the earth

Summary

Introduction

The African construct ‘ubuntu’ has garnered increasing recognition in academic literature over the past years, arguably as part of a broader move towards foregrounding African constructions of the world and unravelling the legacy of colonialism (Ndlovu-Gatsheni, 2018). In this article I aim to make a start on theorising ubuntu by stretching the concept more widely than it has been to date, to focus on present social relations, and to include a focus on respectful relationships with wider and more diverse groups of others (i.e. ethics), accountability to past and future generations (i.e. sustainable development), and a commitment to the earth (i.e. ecological or ecospiritual social work).

Results

Conclusion