Using the Capability Approach to Assess the Value of Ubuntu

Abstract

Ubuntu is a traditional African philosophy that has been widely applied to educational discourses by scholars throughout Africa and worldwide in peace research. By assessing the usefulness of Ubuntu in guiding comprehensive citizenship through the lenses of the capability approach, the chapter challenges a dominant economic model of higher education in Zimbabwe focusing on accumulation, utilization and commodification of knowledge. The capability approach is a normative analytical and evaluative framework advanced in social economics by Amartya Sen. It was expanded and applied in various fields of study including political philosophy, education and development studies. Despite growing criticism against Ubuntu and its value in advancing critical citizenship, the chapter regards the philosophy and its values and principles as potentially useful for inculcating comprehensive citizenship values. Without romanticizing the philosophy’s usefulness for advancing comprehensive citizenship, the chapter proposes framing Ubuntu within a human development and capability approach framework in order to deal with its inherent weaknesses, which include its limited focus on individual preferences.