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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Ubuntu (Philosophy)'
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Furman, Katherine Elizabeth. "Exploring the possibility of an Ubuntu-based political philosophy." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002003.
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It is typically said that there are two questions that political philosophy seeks to address: ‘who gets what?’ and ‘who decides on who gets what?’ South Africa, along with much of the rest of the world, has answered the second question badly and currently ranks as one of the world’s most unequal societies. Counter-intuitively, South Africa maintains a social-political order that (re)produces this inequality along with great enthusiasm for ubuntu, an African ethic that at a minimum requires that we treat each other humanely. However, due to the view that ubuntu has been co-opted in support of South Africa’s unjust system, ubuntu has largely been ignored by radical thinkers. The aim of this thesis is therefore to explore the possibility of an ubuntu-based political philosophy, with the core assumption that political philosophy is rooted in ethical theory. Three tasks are therefore undertaken in this thesis. Firstly, ubuntu is articulated as an ethic. Secondly, it is compared to similar Western ethical theories in order to determine if there are distinguishing characteristics that make ubuntu a more appropriate founding ethic for South African political philosophy. Finally, whether ubuntu can find real-world applicability will be assessed by looking at the way ubuntu has been used in the law
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Prinsloo, Aidan Vivian. "Prolegomena to ubuntu and any other future South African philosophy." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013092.
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In this thesis I consider ubuntu as a metonym for the particularly African features of South African philosophy. Given that Mbembe critiques African philosophy in general as having failed because it has been subsumed under two unreflective political movements in African thought, I consider whether or not the concept of ubuntu escapes his critique. After developing criteria for measuring the success of any philosophical concept, I conclude that ubuntu is unsuccessful. I then identify the political constraints placed on ubuntu that lead to its failure. These constraints arise from having to validate Africa as a place of intellectual worth. Considering the role of place in these constraints, I argue that a far more productive approach to ubuntu (and South African philosophy in general) is to explicitly incorporate this place into our philosophical project. I use the conceptual framework developed by Bruce Janz to provide a systematic account of place that can be used in formulating South African philosophy. I add to Janz, arguing that philosophy is a response to a particular feature of place: the mystery. By incorporating place into ubuntu, I am able to start developing a philosophical concept which can fulfil the political constraints placed on ubuntu without sacrificing its philosophical integrity. I suggest that ubuntu remains an interesting concept primarily because it promises to respond to the fragmentation of the South African place. I conclude by arguing that ubuntu should be used as the basis for a civic religion which responds to the fragmentation of the South African place. This civic religion will give rise to a significantly distinct philosophical tradition which should not succumb to Mbembe’s critique.
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Hofmeyr, Henry Murray. "Poverty, spirits and sommunity : explorations in intercultural philosophy." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/2034.
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Thesis (MA (Philosophy))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.The Philosophy of Poverty and the Ethics of Ubuntu The question posed in this article is if and how the ethics of ubuntu could play a role in poverty eradication in a capitalist economic system. I address this question by investigating a specific poverty eradication project proposal called Pela Nambu, aimed at utilising the principle of participation that exists in the “second economy”, combined with the instruments of wealth creation of the “first economy”. After describing and expanding the Pela Nambu approach, I interrogate some of its main assumptions, and find that the ethics of ubuntu does not really have a chance to be mainstreamed as the philosophy of poverty has to reckon with the fact that the multinational corporation is the dominant institution of our time. For Pela Nambu to succeed, “first economy” participation will need to be in the form of partnerships and not charity. The present Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility performance of companies is not encouraging. Yet, the new Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment codes and the increased marketability of differentiated products does offer an opportunity that initiatives like Pela Nambu could fruitfully explore. From hauntology to a new animism? Nature and culture in Heinz Kimmerle’s intercultural philosophy Derrida has proposed a new spectrology in an attempt to deal with the ghost of Marx. Kimmerle shows that Marx has forgotten nature, and enquires about Derrida’s forgetting Marx’s forgetting. With specific reference to African culture he asks whether a new animism should not be explored within the framework of a new spectrology. Derrida uses the concept animism, but not in terms of the being of things in and of themselves, which could positively be thought as animated. Kimmerle proposes a way in which Western philosophy could be opened to African philosophy in order to understand the problem of animated nature more adequately. African philosophy has a concept of the universe of spiritual forces, in which nature and its powers are completely integrated. This paper explores these issues in dialogue with a number of African philosophers, while linking them to certain contestations within environmental philosophy and ethics, especially Murray Bookchin’s critique of spirit-talk in Deep Ecology. Kimmerle’s work on the relationship between Africa and Hegel sets the scene for an elaboration of his re-evaluation of animism which is compared to the ground-breaking hypothesis of Bird-David. A relational epistemology is understood in ethical terms, and it is implied that such an epistemology would be more adequate for a new humanism that would be new in going beyond the western tradition, and in the process gain a more inclusive concept of ‘person’ and ‘community’. The community and the individual in Western and African thought: Implications for knowledge production The tension between the group and the individual is a pervasive condition of humanity that is resolved differently in Western and African knowledge systems. The polarity of “I think therefore I am” versus “I am because we are” does not do justice to the role of the individual in African knowledge systems, and recent attempts in Western philosophy to ormulate a “philosophy of we”. A contextual philosophy of knowledge production is concerned about the we as the carrier of traditions. It is a philosophy of the in-between cultures and knowledge systems that is engaged in dialogues aimed at the formulation of universals. Intercultural (or contextual) philosophy becomes the ‘contemporary idiom’ within which to express ‘the cluster of humanist principles which underlie the traditional African society’ (Nkrumah).
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Jönsson, Lisa, and Therese Stensson. "Professional Responsibility Within Substance Abuse Treatment : In the Perspective of the Ubuntu Philosophy." Thesis, Linnaeus University, School of Education, Psychology and Sport Science, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-2445.
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The Aim of this study is to interpret and analyse what is considered to be professional responsibility within substance abuse treatment in the unique perspective of Ubuntu philosophy. The Method is of hermeneutic tradition, which is based upon qualitative research with five interviews. Result: Ubuntu philosophy can be seen as a perspective when interacting with clients, professionals and surrounding community. Ethical responsibility is by the professionals considered as a positive attitude, different approaches and respect for the profession, co-workers and clients. The Discussion enlightens the importance of education, ethical responsibilities and how the Ubuntu philosophy creates a holistic perspective in treatment. Conclusion: There will always be differences when working with people but the differences should not be considered as dilemmas more as challenges.
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Mashasha, Tamsanqa Munyaradzi. "The critical implications of Ubuntu for contemporary management theory." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013116.
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Since the dissolution of apartheid, corporate governance in South Africa has evolved from being a soft mainly ethical issue to a hard knowledge-based technological issue, recognised as pivotal to the success and revitalisation of the country’s capital markets and, ultimately, the prospects of the corporate economy. These high stakes have produced a succession of measures aimed at transforming corporate governance in the economy. As such, South Africa’s corporate managers are consistently faced with the seemingly unassailable obstacle of discerning and implementing technologically progressive and culturally/racially unbiased management strategies/systems. The focus of this thesis is the latter of these two obstacles. Ubuntu acts as the scope via which the issues embedded within the incumbent management strategies/systems are viewed. Ubuntu philosophy embodies a socio-cultural framework that applies to all individuals and institutions throughout the continent. It embodies collectivism and teamwork, creation of synergies and competitive advantages, humanist leadership styles and maturity, consensus in decision-making systems, effective communication, and community-based corporate social responsibility. Ubuntu is pervasive in almost all parts of Southern African continent – it is integrated into all aspects of day-to-day life throughout the region. This thesis reviews and analyses some of the lessons that can be learned through the inception of African management, more specifically Ubuntu management, within South Africa’s corporate sphere. This thesis aims to prove that there exists a need for a new South African corporate management system, one which is able to harmoniously integrate the incumbent, western-orientated management strategies and systems with one of African origins.
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Oelofsen, Rianna. "Afro-communitarianism and the nature of reconciliation." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006809.
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In this dissertation I sketch a conception of personhood as understood from within an Afrocommunitarian worldview, and argue that this understanding of personhood has implications for understanding the concept of reconciliation. Understanding ‘being human’ as a collective, communal enterprise has implications for how responsibility, justice, forgiveness and humanization (all cognate concepts of reconciliation) are conceptualized. In line with this understanding of reconciliation and its cognate concepts, I argue that the humanization of self and other (according to the Afrocommunitarian understanding of personhood) is required for addressing the ‘inferiority’ and concurrent ‘superiority’ racial complexes as diagnosed by Franz Fanon and Steve Biko. These complexes reach deeply within individual and collective psyches and political identities, and I argue that political solutions to protracted conflict (in South Africa and other racially charged contexts) which do not address these deeply entrenched pathologies will be inadequate according to an Afrocommunitarian framework.
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Ehlers, Patrick Joseph. "A comparison of the views of Augustine Shutte and Thaddeus Metz on African philosophy and Ubuntu ethics." University of the Western Cape, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/5843.
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Magister Theologiae - MThIn the theoretical study of Ethics much emphasis has traditionally been placed on established ethical theories, via approaches typified e.g. as deontological, divine command, utilitarian, virtue ethics and natural ethics. At UWC all these approaches, very much entrenched in the Western academic canon, have been taught, together with ethical views carried by the world religions. Over the last few years, however, an interest in the study of African ideas (philosophy, theology, worldview studies, especially around the elusive but fascinating concept of Ubuntu) has grown. This study is an attempt to make a contribution towards a more serious exchange with African ethical ideas and their application in a global context. In this mini-thesis I compare the views of two academics, Augustine Shutte and Thaddeus Metz, who have actively and deliberately worked in the field of African philosophy and ethics. Through this comparative study of two rather different readings of Ubuntu philosophy, I wish to contribute to the growing interest in ethical views and discourse emanating from African ways of looking at the world and at humanity. The well-known, recently deceased, Augustine Shutte, a Catholic scholar of repute, taught Philosophy at the University of Cape Town, and published books such as Philosophy for Africa, The Mystery of Humanity; Ubuntu, An ethic for a New South Africa and The Quest for Humanity in Science and Religion, The South African Experience. The other scholar, the American born philosopher Thaddeus Metz, started teaching Philosophy at the University of Johannesburg and shifted his intellectual attention to African ideas and ethics. Coming from a rational Kantian approach, mixed with utilitarian ethical concerns, Metz discovered the difficulty of adding another “African mix” to main stream academia, based on the comprehensive scope of the very inclusive look at what it means to be human in the quite unique African worldview. He has published widely and in depth on many aspects of this “clash of cultures” while also holding on to enlightenment ideals and an ongoing conversation with science, especially also social science. These two authors thus share many concerns and interests, but also represent two different angles and approaches into African philosophy and ethics. The question for this limited study is formulated in the short introduction: How do Shutte and Metz connect the ethical implications of a widely shared “African worldview” with the core idea of Ubuntu, and which ethical implications do they draw from their reading of Ubuntu – for Africa and the world? These questions are addressed via five chapters: In the first an introduction to the research focus and question and the second of these the field of African Philosophy and Ethics is briefly covered via appropriate literature, thus providing a framework for comparing Shutte and Metz. The third chapter deals with Shutte’s search for an Ubuntu approach to South Africa’s problems within the African and global context - via his emphasis on an inclusive anthropology of caring and justice in which the pitfalls of individualism, materialism and consumerism can be avoided while promoting a sustainable work ethos and attunement with “science”. The fourth chapter focuses on Metz’ critical deontological approach, and his attempt to take the comprehensive African worldview seriously in conversation with utility, reason and science. In the fifth chapter the comparison of these two overlapping, but still quite different with an approach that can lead to a concrete ethical conclusion and application for South Africa, Africa and the world.
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Collins-Warfield, Amy E. ""Ubuntu"-- philosophy and practice an examination of Xhosa teachers' psychological sense of community in Langa, South Africa /." Bowling Green, Ohio : Bowling Green State University, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=bgsu1225405676.
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Smith, Wayne Glenwood. "Intersubjectivity : a cosmology theodicy and narratology of Ubuntu in conversation with the philosophy of organism of A.N. Whitehead." Thesis, University of Pretoria, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/53071.
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The rationality of this interdisciplinary transversal conversation is premised
upon the conviction that there is much in common between the relational ontology of
ubuntu (e.g. ubuntu ngummuntu ngabantu) and the philosophy of organism of English
mathematician and philosopher A.N. Whitehead. It is revealed that the African aphorism
which speaks to the deepest longings of a people has metaphysical and philosophical
moorings and the speculative process schema is based on physicality. In the course of
the transversal encounter, the mutual prehension of ubuntu-process yields a systematic
response to creaturely physical and mental suffering. A challenge of theodicy is
encountered by 'process' in posing divine passive complicity amid active redemption.
Ubuntu, for its part, is expanded into a responsive postfoundational mode. In both
internal conversations, ubuntu proves that it can bear the weight of an expanded
application and process prehensions are given flesh. An extended narratological
examination takes place between ubuntu-process, neuroscience and an ubuntu-process
approach to the homiletic of parables. Suggested trajectories for further application of a
postfoundational understanding of ubuntu, armed with not only its liminal expertise but
the relational cosmology of the philosophy of organism will comprise invitations to
apply Whiteheadean ubuntu-process to investigations of human relationship to the
environment and among differing human tribal allegiances, an elaboration of its intraand
inter-personal/intra- and inter-social dynamics drawing upon the learning from the
permeability of formal fuzzy logic, further elaboration awaits in an ubuntu-process
contribution to studies of integral theory, critical theory and embodied realism; the place
of ubuntu-process among other ontologies and, finally, the role of ubuntu-process in
descriptive and prescriptive analyses of mimetic dynamics.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2015.
tm2016
Dogmatics and Christian Ethics
PhD
Unrestricted
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Muller, Roger Joseph. "Perceptions regarding the impact of ubuntu and servant leadership on employee engagement in the workplace." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/19409.
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South Africa have some of the lowest employee engagement scores in the world. Leadership is a key determinant of employee engagement, but existing leadership theories and practices are often ineffective in more humanistic and collectivistic cultures like South Africa. To this end, Ubuntu and servant leadership is posited to positively influence organisational performance by increasing employee engagement. The primary objective of this study is to investigate perceptions regarding the impact of Ubuntu and servant leadership on employee engagement in private organisations of the Eastern Cape. A quantitative research design was utilised and yielded 428 usable questionnaires through nonprobability sampling. The empirical results revealed that the spirit of solidarity dimension of Ubuntu leadership influenced significantly and positively. Furthermore, it was found that survival and spirit of solidarity had a significant and positive influence on organisational performance as measured through the balanced scorecard (BSC). Servant leadership positively and significantly influenced employee engagement and organisational performance. In addition, it was found that employee engagement mediates the relationship between servant leadership and organizational performance. This study has made several significant empirical and theoretical contributions, and can be classified as one of the pioneering attempts to gather empirical evidence on how Ubuntu manifests in the workplace. The high convergent validity of the dimensions of Ubuntu leadership and comparisons to Servant leadership established in this study, provides some proof of its novel contribution towards leadership theory. A highly reliable and valid measuring instrument was developed to evaluate Ubuntu from a leadership perspective. This is a major empirical contribution as, at the time, there were no reliable scales available in South Africa to measure Ubuntu leadership.
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Griffiths, Mary Alida. "Poverty and the role of business." Thesis, Link to the online version, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10019/938.
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Rugerinyange, Nshuti. "Traditional and hybrid leadership styles in Rwanda : examining the common leadership styles, influencing factors, and culture in post-genocide Rwanda." Thesis, Robert Gordon University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10059/2142.
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For most of Rwanda's post-independence past, the country has been marked by ethnic feuding, mass population movements and long exiles in neighbouring countries, and civil wars that culminated in the genocide in 1994. As this research shows in its review of literature of the history of Rwanda's post-independence period, the civil wars of those with ethnically-differentiated access to power and wealth have had social-, cultural- and economic effects. How has foreign culture - acquired by Rwandaliens - affected indigenous Rwandan culture, and its influence thereof on the present leadership styles? This thesis assesses the most common leadership styles in companies / organisations in Rwanda, in order to build a theory of the predominant leadership styles and culture in Rwanda in the context of the post-genocide era.
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Crist, Angela R. "South African Ubuntu Theory in Cross Cultural Community Development Practice: An Autoethnographic Exploration." Bowling Green, Ohio : Bowling Green State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=bgsu1244121998.
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Thorburn, Lukas, and Aréla Oscar Floren. "Exploring how multiple stories, connectivity, and mystique can give the illusion of a larger digital world that is rich in history and open for interpretations." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-16994.
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This bachelor thesis will explore the possibilities in which game creators will be able to expand and enlarge their digital world and give the players the illusion that there is more to it than just the realm of the playable main character. This will be done through the usage of rhizomatic connections, ubuntu philosophy, multiple stories, and mystique. We hope that these keywords will hold the key to making a more interesting world for video games in which the world will seem wide, exiting and with a rich history similar to how the real world appears. We live life as one character but we know that there is more to the world than just ourselves and the environment we live our daily lives in.Detta kandidatarbete kommer att utforska möjligheter till hur spelskapare ska kunna göra för att expandera, utveckla, och förstora sina digitala världar för att ge spelarna en illusion av att det finns mer till den digitala världen än endast huvudkaraktären och den del av världen där spelets historia utspelar sig. Vi vill utforska detta genom rhizomatiska kopplingar, ubuntu filosofi, multipla historier, och mystik. Vi hoppas på att dessa nyckelord ska erhålla nyckeln till att skapa mer intressanta världar för videospel där världen verkar vid och spännande, samt tronar på en rik och händelsefull historia likt hur vi ser den verkliga fysiska världen. Vi lever som en karaktär, ofta i en liten del av världen men vi vet att det finns mer där ute än endast våra egna liv och de platser där detta liv utspelar sig.
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Kachabe, Victor, and Petersson Sarah Kirabo. "Ethical Leadership: Ubuntu and Jantelagen : The influence of Culture in the interpretation of ethical leadershipin Zambia and Sweden." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för organisation och entreprenörskap (OE), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-96214.
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The main purpose of our study was to gain a deeper understanding of how culture influences the interpretation of ethical leadership by both leaders and followers in Zambia and Sweden. The study was conducted using an interpretative narrative inquiry with a small sample of ten participants (i.e. leaders and followers) selected using a purposive sampling method. The participants were drawn from six small and medium local authorities in Sweden (three medium size Kommuns) and Zambia (Two municipalities and one District Council). The empirical data was collected using semi-structured interview guides with interview sessions lasting 45 minutes on average. The data collected was transcribed and analyzed using narrative and thematic analysis. Based on this analysis, we came up with four main themes regarding the interpretation of ethical leadership by leaders and followers, and these are: Morality, Law, Humanity and Nature which constitute our Culture-Ethical Leadership interpretation model. The empirical narratives demonstrated some similarities in the interpretation of ethical leadership between leaders and followers in Sweden and Zambia. The leaders and followers from both countries affiliated ethical leadership to morality, humanity, adherence to the law, and, caring and protecting nature. Our research also led us to conclude that there is a degree of variance in the interpretation of ethical leadership which relates to the differences in the cultural contexts. In Zambia, leaders and followers show high inclination to the law as being ethical which is reflected in Bello (2012)’s statement that failure to follow rules and regulations is a manifestation of unethical leadership while in Sweden, leaders and followers are inclined to high morality and humanity influenced by high levels of trust as narrated by our participants from Sweden.Alumbwe leza!
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Williams, Richmond Paul Bowen. "Towards a strategic transcultural model of leadership that enhances Koinonia in urban Southern Africa." Thesis, Full-text available online as a .pdf file, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/23874.
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The research conducted was done on the basis of providing an initial platform or starting point for insight and discussion into what a strategic transcultural model of leadership might look like which was relevant to the early 21st Century Christian context in the cities of Southern Africa. A strategic transcultural leader is essentially a transformational leader who exhibits an ability beyond the norm in being able to cross socio-political barriers and thus inspiring the multicultural dynamic, while also honouring the individual cultures represented. In order to study strategic transcultural leadership models a strong leadership angle was taken, which employed investigating six leaders, three political and three Christian as to the structures, styles, values, transcultural abilities and Christian/political beliefs and/or philosophies they employed. The thesis poses the problem of urban unrest in the cities of Southern Africa. The problem of an influx into the cities, of the many different ethnicities and tribes from throughout Southern Africa and the pressures this has caused is briefly alluded to. This problem has been further exacerbated in South Africa by the arrival of many peoples from throughout Africa, south of the Sahara seeking their fortune without having to leave the African Subcontinent, and in Zimbabwe by the political policies of the Zimbabwean government, over land and in clearing away her unapproved urban high-density housing, and her informal business and white farming sectors of the economy. With these issues in mind, there is a need for strategic transcultural leadership to address these and other issues of unrest. The examples of Mandela and De Klerk as transformational leaders, inspire hope, that the vacuum of strategic transcultural leadership seen in Africa at large and specifically in relation to Southern Africa can be met, as is noted by the progress made in recent years in the arena of transformational leadership which the Group of eight and the United Nations and others allude to. While this is true, there are still problems in relation to the political decision-making within South African, as seen by Mbeki’s stance in the past on HIV-AIDS, and Zimbabwe’s woes. The stage is set from a missiological and historical perspective by looking at multicultural models of leadership in the Early Church with specific reference to Paul and the Antiochan model he used as a prototype. The Jerusalem Church is mentioned as a bi-cultural model, which has significant use outside of large urban environs. However it was the Pauline-Antiochan model that provided a platform, in the later use of a synthetic-semiotic model, to deduce or synthesis a transcultural model. Paul’s model of leadership was analysed specifically in relation to the five elements already noted (structures, styles, etc.) and is particularly useful as a model as Paul himself provides firstly an insight into a man of bi-cultural heritage yet someone who was empire-conscious. Paul was able to uphold both the cultural distinctive or uniqueness of both the Greek and Jew (noting Paul’s use of both Hebraic and Hellenistic styles of the diatribe for example) as well as the universal, in that he was empire-conscious which played into his Kingdom perspective. Secondly he provides a reasonable grounds for understanding that if the belief system of the individual is changed on one of its most fundamental levels – allegiance – then given time the macro-cultural identity of a nation, even empire can be significantly altered. He was able to do this primarily because the Graeco-Roman Empire had a common linguafranca in Greek, and the Christian community – as the followers of the Way became known as – had an ethos of reconciliation, enhancing the multicultural and one also of inclusivity (for example a worship style that encompasses both Jewish and local expressions) enhancing the particular. In declaring the One God of Israel and Jesus Christ – Messiah, as the only true Kyrios, Paul replaced the Emperor and the whole Greek pantheon of the Gods with the one true God and Father of us all, and his one and only Son.< /p> The three political leaders – Moshoeshoe, Smuts and Mandela – and the three Christian leaders – Mutendi, Cassidy and Tutu – are investigated in terms of the five elements (structures, styles, values etc.) that comprise the model of leadership. Each of these leaders in turn made a lasting contribution to national and/or tribal change. After looking at the six leadership models an initial conceptual framework for a multicultural model of leadership is outlined. However, in order to bring significant current postmodern/neo-African/tribal/multicultural paradigms of thought and the associated socio-political forces and philosophies of the day, to bear on the evolving model, these were specifically highlighted and brought into the process of synthesizing a model. Lastly once all these inputs are brought together in a tabulated framework, and the evolving multicultural model is screened against three known working scenarios, and further synthesized such that the refined model was then called a strategic transcultural model of leadership. Before this can be achieved however, various North American multicultural models posited were looked at in a literary review, which served to reinforce the understanding of the need to balance the universal and the particular aspects of culture. In refining a strategic transcultural model, the thesis next attempted to address the problem of developing a national macro-cultural identity. A strict delineation in a postmodern era between Church and State was considered to be not only unnecessary but a modern myth, also noting that the State mirrors the Church in many of the problems of community and identity. Thus the meso-level of the Church provided key insights into the macro-level of the State. An argument all along was posed for not just orchestrating a macro-culture based on multiculturalism, nor in just upholding the micro-cultural individual identities at the expense of participation in a national framework and beyond this the global village, but an argument was made for a both/and scenario. In doing this the thesis sought to address both the macro-cultural and individual cultural identities at every level and in every element of the model of leadership. The plausibility of the argument for today was based on the prevalence of a language of choice – in most cases English – and an ethos of reconciliation and inclusivity for which Madiba and Tutu among others have set the standard. A final picture of a community based on both was posited for reflection, a picture that John paints where the great heavenly host (mirroring the macro-level of the Kingdom) is contrasted with the micro-level of a people made up “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev 5:9).Thesis (PhD (Science of Religion and Missiology))--University of Pretoria, 2007.
Science of Religion and Missiology
PhD
Unrestricted
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Timana, Lovely. "The influence of Ubuntu philosophy and principles on family businesses." 2013. http://encore.tut.ac.za/iii/cpro/DigitalItemViewPage.external?sp=1001531.
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M. Tech. EntrepreneurshipThe world is experiencing remarkable social, political, economic and entrepreneurial changes and challenges. Some of these challenges relate to the incorporation of various social cultures to the business culture. Managers, businessmen and entrepreneurs need to reconcile the various cultural dimensions to survive in a highly competitive global market environment. When doing business with people it is important to understand what defines them and most people are defined by their social culture and tradition. Culture is therefore an important aspect in understanding how we all interact in our social and business lives. Culture creates the rules for social interaction that conditions how people will react to others within the business environment and that form of interaction occurs according to rules (norms) and values embedded in our various cultures. The purpose of the study is to investigate the influence of the Ubuntu philosophy and its practice on the functionality of family businesses.
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Dube, Ndumiso. "The philosophy of ubuntu in secondary schools in the Gweru District of Zimbabwe : a critical reflection." Thesis, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/27678.
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This study sought to critically reflect on the impact of Ubuntu on learner behaviour and academic performance in secondary schools in the Gweru district of Zimbabwe. The study was undergirded by two theoretical frameworks: Hirschi‟s (1969) Social Bond Theory and Welberg‟s (1981) Theory of Educational Productivity. The four elements of the Social Bond Theory and the three groups of nine factors of the Theory of Educational Productivity based on affective, cognitive and behavioural skills for optimisation of learning which affect the quality of academic performance were reviewed in order to reflect on the impact of Ubuntu on learner behaviour and academic performance in secondary schools in the Gweru district of Zimbabwe. The interpretivist paradigm was used in this study since it was participant oriented. The qualitative research design was adopted for this study which followed a phenomenological approach where semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, document analysis and participant observations were used to collect data. Seven teachers and thirty-eight learners from four secondary schools in the Gweru district were purposefully selected to participate in this study. Findings indicated that both teachers and learners had a sound knowledge of the concept of Ubuntu. The study established that drug and alcohol abuse, pre-marital sex, poor time management and general indiscipline and low academic achievement characterised learners who lacked Ubuntu. Findings indicated that learners with Ubuntu were disciplined and had higher academic achievement. The study established that best performing schools were those that maintained an environment where members of the schools community maintained high levels of Ubuntu. The study recommended that school administrators should introduce values of Ubuntu as the core values to be taught and practiced by both staff and learners. It was further recommended that teacher training institutions should introduce Ubuntu as a mandatory course in the pre-service programmes so that graduates from these institutions are well grounded on various methods of teaching values of Ubuntu in secondary schools.Educational Studies
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Mucina, Devi Dee. "Ubuntu: A Regenerative Philosophy for Rupturing Racist Colonial Stories of Dispossession." Thesis, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1807/29931.
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Let me share with you Ubuntu oralities. These stories will connect us in a familial dialogue about how we can and are regenerating beyond neo colonialism by using Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a philosophical and ethical system of thought, from which definitions of humanness, togetherness and social politics of difference arise. Ubuntu can also be viewed as a complex worldview that holds in tension the contradictions of trying to highlight our uniqueness as human beings among other human beings. My interpretation of our Indigenous Ubuntu knowledge communicates how my understanding of Ubuntu is influenced by my Maseko Ngoni and Shona ethnic identities. Another influence of my understanding of our Ubuntu worldview comes from the African languages of my familial communities which are the main tools that I draw on for accessing our shared meaning and creating new shared meaning. The geopolitical experience of being Black in Africa and then leaving Africa for the West also has influenced my understanding of Ubuntu. These are my strengths and limitations in engaging Ubuntu. I give you this information because it is not my aim to create a false dichotomy about Blackness; rather, it is my aim to enter our global contemporary Black academic discourse with another form of remembering Blackness. My remembering is grounded in my own experience which has found constancy through Ubuntu languages and other social symbolic expressions. This cultural transmission process has allowed knowledge from my ancestors to cascade down to me. I believe that by sharing our social stories we build collective confidence to engage and challenge each other with respectful curiosity and, above all, with love. Love is the expression of relational care for our interconnectedness, which is the basis for researching our truths in our shared humanity. Ubuntuness has many ways of transmitting knowledge. This being said, for this work I will focus on how we can share our fragmented memories through our stories of family, community and nationhood, as a way of better understanding our Ubuntuness. This is the process of love creating possibilities beyond pain, isolation, abandonment and hate.
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Tonkin, Reinetta Lavina. "'n Opvoedkundige waardering van ubuntu." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10210/5729.
Full textAbstract:
M.Ed.Originally the aim of the study was to detemine the role of the African educator at home as well as at school. It was felt that this person has an extremely difficult task to accomplish, especially in view of the violence and the problems just before the 1994-elections. However, as the study progressed, the African concept, Ubuntu, proved to be an interesting topic and it was thought to be a possible solution to a country riddled with unique problems in education and the violence in particular. The term Philosophy of Life was briefly discussed, as it is always embedded in the way one educates one's child. Education as a concept was studied, in particular in the way it teaches a child to become more human. The Philosophy of Life that seemed of great importance is Humanism. Universal educational principles that seemed relevant, were identified to be used as criteria for the rest of the study. The term, human, and all the others related to it were analysed. Western Humanism, both Traditional and Neo-humanism, were studied. The educational implications of Western humanism were discussed, using the identified criteria for education as guidelines. In chapter four the African humanism, Ubuntu, was, via a literature study, analysed in great depth. There are as many versions of this term as there are people, but the most common characteristics of Ubuntu were identified. After a general discussion, the connotations usually given to the charateristics were listed. Afterwards the educational implications of Ubuntu were discussed. In chapter five an educational evaluation of the implications of African Humanism was undertaken. This study does not claim to be complete. It was merely an attempt to get a better grasp on reality. A literature study proved sufficient for this purpose, as very little was actually written about the concept Ubuntu, when the research was started. However, much has been said and written since.
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De, Jager Peta. "Ubuntu, Zimbabwe and the ethics of intervention." Thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10539/8910.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT
The profound and extensive nature of difficulties in Zimbabwean current affairs raises a moral
dilemma for South Africa: should it intervene in some way, or respect Zimbabwean sovereignty?
Is there a plausible ‘middle ground’ theory to resolves this dilemma?
This paper argues that there may well be. It further argues that such a ‘middle ground’ account is
consistent with at least one version of ubuntu, an indigenous sub-Saharan African philosophy.
What does ubuntu have to say about the right (or perhaps even the obligation) of the South
African government to have intervened in Zimbabwean affairs? Does it vindicate South Africa
for its failure to intervene? This project, whilst not providing a decisive answer to the question of
whether intervention in Zimbabwe by South Africa is legitimate on this African world-view,
provides one possible approach to evaluating the dilemma from an ubuntu-informed perspective.
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Bouma, Kathlema M. Walther. "The moral dilemma of amnesty: the dialectic of ubuntu justice in Zimbabwe." Thesis, 2010. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/24512.
Full textAbstract:
A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (by coursework and research report), February 2010This research report answers the question, "would ubuntu obligate the people of Zimbabwe to agree to amnesty for Mr. Roberts Mugabe as a means to restore community harmony?" Seen as an ideal social ethic and foundation of African philosophy, ubuntu values community harmony and commands respect for dignity of humanity: [Abbreviated Abstract. Open document to view full version]
XL2018
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Mzondi, Abraham Modisa Mkhondo. ""Two souls" leadership: dynamic interplay of Ubuntu, Western and New Testament leadership values." Thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3240.
Full textAbstract:
D.Litt. et Phil.The post-1994 South African society has become humanistic, pluralistic and tolerant. The era is characterised by a call and commitment to build a non–racial, non–sexist, and non–discriminatory society enshrined in the constitution of the Republic of South Africa. These conditions challenge African evangelical leaders to minister the gospel without losing their faith and cultural identity. They also provide such leaders with an opportunity to effectively minister the gospel to others within their cultures and value systems. In an earlier study, which described how leaders of this type have developed and which values influenced them, the researcher discovered that: (a) these leaders follow the same developmental phases mentioned in Clinton‘s leadership emergence pattern and (b) the family played an important role in influencing, shaping and passing certain values to these leaders. In addition to these observations, the results of the completed questionnaires in the earlier study reflect that the leaders who participated in the previous study were significantly influenced by African and Western values. The influence of theses sets of values was referred to as operating with ―two souls‖, a condition which indicates that a person is simultaneously embracing both African and Western values without creating a dichotomy. The implication is that these leaders have embraced both kinds of values in their ministry and daily lives, without realising it. The researcher based the current study upon the recommendation that a qualitative study on African evangelical leadership development be conducted to determine areas that the researcher did not cover earlier. Based upon this recommendation he engaged in three tasks which constitute the purpose of this study: to (a) compare Ubuntu with Western values among African evangelical leaders in the same district and relate these values to New Testament leadership values, (b) argue that the ministry context of African evangelical leaders in the district dictates that they operate with ―two souls‖, and (c) develop a leadership training module for evangelical leaders in the district who participated in the study to enable them to minister in the culturally diverse, humanistic and pluralistic society of South Africa.
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Letseka, Matsephe Martha. "An analysis of undergraduate philosophy of education students' perception of African philosophy." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/7719.
Full textAbstract:
This study provides a critical interrogation of the perceptions held by the undergraduate Philosophy of Education students at an open and distance learning institution, towards African philosophy. The study is premised on famed Kenyan philosopher, Odera Henry Oruka‟s classification of African philosophy into four trends: ethno-philosophy, philosophic sagacity, nationalist-ideological philosophy and professional philosophy. These trends confirm that African philosophy is more than traditions, culture or ubuntu, and more complex than the students make it to be. The study makes a link between the students‟ flawed perceptions of African philosophy with their lack of critical thinking skills.
The study has attempted to answer questions such as why students have flawed perceptions of African philosophy; how critical thinking assists in changing their perceptions of African philosophy, and what role can the education system play in equipping students with critical thinking skills. The study‟s findings show that undergraduate Philosophy of Education students conflate African philosophy with African people‟s traditions and cultures, and with ubuntu. Students perceive that African philosophy lacks reason and rationality - key elements of critical thinking. The study‟s findings show that students lack critical thinking skills. The study notes that the way students are taught makes a large contribution to their perceptions and lack of critical thinking skills. The study makes the following recommendations. Firstly, to deal with the problem of students‟ conflations, the study recommends the introduction of the principles of African philosophy, namely, ubuntu, communalism and indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) in the school curriculum, and to emphasise these principles in the curricula of higher education institutions. Secondly, the study recommends the introduction of philosophy for children (P4C) in schools. It is envisaged that P4C will assist learners to acquire critical thinking skills at an early stage of learning. Thirdly, the study recommends the teaching of critical thinking skills at universities. Finally, the study recommends that in-
service training be made an integral part of teachers‟ and lecturers‟ professional training, to bring them up-to-date with new ideas and methods of teaching.Educational Studies
D. Ed. (Philosophy of Education)
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Chuwa, Leonard T. "Interpreting the Culture of Ubuntu: The Contribution of a Representative Indigenous African Ethics to Global Bioethics." 2012. http://digital.library.duq.edu/u?/etd,154279.
Full textAbstract:
Ubuntu is a worldview and a way of life shared by most Africans south of Sahara. Basically Ubuntu underlines the often unrecognized role of relatedness and dependence of human individuality to other humans and the cosmos. The importance of relatedness to humanity is summarized by the two maxims of Ubuntu. The first is: a human being is human because of other human beings. The second maxim is an elaboration of the first. It goes; a human being is human because of the otherness of other human beings. John Mbiti combines those two maxims into, "I am because we are, and we are because I am." Ubuntu worldview can provide insights about relationships with communities and the world that contribute to the meaning of Global Bioethics. <br>Ubuntu can be described as involving several distinct yet related components that can be explored in relation to major strands of discourse in contemporary Bioethics. The first component of Ubuntu deals with the tension between individual and universal rights. The second component of Ubuntu deals with concerns about the cosmic and global context of life. The third component of Ubuntu deals with the role of solidarity that unites individuals and communities. Ubuntu has a lot in common with current discourse in bioethics. It can facilitate global bioethics. It can inspire the on-going dialogue about human dignity, human rights and the ethics that surround it. It can inspire and be inspired by global environmental concerns that threaten the biosphere and human life. Ubuntu can critique the formal bioethical principles of autonomy, justice, beneficence and non-maleficence. Above all, Ubuntu can create a basis for dialogue and mutually enlightening discourse between global bioethics and indigenous cultures. Such a dialogue helps make advancements in bioethics relevant to local indigenous cultures, thereby facilitating the acceptability and praxis of global bioethical principles.McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts;
Philosophy
PhD
Dissertation;
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Mapadimeng, Mokong Simon. "Ubuntu/botho culture : a path to improved performance and socio-economic development in post-apartheid SA : beyond rhetoric." Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/2195.
Full textAbstract:
While the debate on the indigenous culture of ubuntu/botho in South Africa (SA) goes far back into the history as signified by Ngubane' s (1963 and 1979) works on the role of the ubuntu values in the anti-colonial and anti-apartheid struggle; in the last two decades or so, this debate has gathered even much greater momentum. This recent interest in ubuntu/botho culture could be attributed to the imminence of the collapse of apartheid in the late 1980s and the turn of the 1990s, and also the post-apartheid situation in which the SA society came to confront serious socio-economic and political challenges. Those challenges arose from the country's re-admission into the global world, which presented challenges associated with globalisation phenomenon such as the need to achieve economic competitiveness. They also were presented by
the newly attained democratic dispensation along which dawned the urgent need to redress the apartheid-created injustices and to work earnestly towards the eradication of the past legacies such as racial inequalities and poverty while seeking to consolidate and jealously defend the still rather fragile democracy. Event much more recently, the debate came to form part of the current continent-wide sentiment that Africa should claim the twenty-first century and that all efforts should be channelled towards the renewal of Africa following the destructions and distortions caused by colonialism. Central to this debate in SA is the widely held belief and claim that the ubuntu/botho
cultural values could be mobilised into developmental and transformative force. In particular, a strong claim is made that for SA to achieve competitive advantage in global markets, its development strategies should tap into the values of the ubuntu/botho culture. While few cases are cited as success stories indicative of ubuntu values positive influence on business management strategies in the workplace, often with the assistance of private consultants, these remain isolated and no any serious follow-up studies were conduced in order to assess the sustainability of such interventions. Thus, what is essentially missing in this debate, is a comprehensive indepth, empirically-based study aimed at not only assessing the validity of these
widely held claims, but also at examining the objective conditions under which the ubuntu/botho cultural values can help in realising this role. Also critical and missing is the need to possibilities/opportunities and potential constraints to ubuntu/botho culture's ability to fulfil this role. Often these debates lack any serious theoretical basis or comparative references on which to justify their claims. Further, there is seldom any attempt to locate the debate on ubuntu/botho culture in the wider context of the debate and research in the African continent around questions of traditional cultures, thought systems and development and progress. While the present study approaches this debate in such a way that the gaps highlighted addressed through extensive review of literature, it however takes it even further by giving it an empirical content through an in-depth case study of one South African workplace as an illustrative example. This empirically-based approach, coupled with extensive and critical review of the relevant literature, helped to take the debate on ubuntu/botho culture beyond rhetoric which characterises the current dominant thinking within the debate. I argue, on the basis of my overall findings that while evidence gathered supports the case for the need to explore with the ubuntu/botho culture in the economic and business sphere, and in particular at the workplace level, some serious obstacles would and do stand in the way of realising the potentially transformative and developmental role of the culture's values.Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.
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Gwaravanda, Ephraim Taurai. "A critical analysis of the contribution of selected Shona proverbs to Applied Philosophy." Thesis, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/20980.
Full textAbstract:
The research focuses on the epistemic tension between Western positivist epistemology and African indigenous knowledge systems particularly Shona proverbs. The research argues that Western epistemological hegemony is both unjustified and unacceptable in the context of the pluriversal understanding of knowledge where systems of knowledge are both multiple and diverse. After a critique of Eurocentric thinking, the research defends an African epistemological paradigm that emerges as an alternative framework for the authentic and legitimate study of African knowledge systems and ways of knowing. The approach opens intellectual space for the philosophical study of Shona proverbs. Under Shona environmental philosophy, it shall be argued that ubuntu respects all aspects of the environment, recognizes the dependence of human beings on the environment, sees the land as sacred and affords responsibility for future generations by encouraging the preservation and conservation of resources. Three Shona proverbs have been used to show how the Shona think about preservation of natural resources, conservation of natural resources and the interdependence between humanity and the natural world. In the context of Shona philosophy of law, it is argued that ubuntu provides the basis of a coherent philosophy of law among the Shona. Shona philosophy of law is a reflection of legal elements and the study draws these elements from selected proverbs. These proverbs have been used to show the metaphysical basis of Shona legal philosophy, the role of the law in protecting the dignity of individuals and the importance of the law in peace building within the community. Concerning political philosophy, the study has argued that ubuntu is the political foundation of solidarity, oneness and mutual support in politics. Shona political philosophy stresses coexistence and relatedness (ukama) within the community. Shona political philosophy maintains that authority should be guided by respect, good governance, solidarity and peace. Under Shona philosophy of economics, themes of human dignity, respect for hard work and the need for moderation in the desire for money are discussed in the context of the Shona philosophical worldview. The proverbs under study contribute to alternative ways of philosophical reflection in the context of the pluriversality of knowledgePhilosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology
D.Litt et Phil. (Philosophy)
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Ajei, Martin Odei. "Africa's development : the imperatives of indigenous knowledge and values." Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/1266.
Full textAbstract:
In post-colonial Africa, conceptions of the nature and purposes of development as well as the theories and strategies for achieving them have remained a territory traversed predominantly by non-African social scientists. In this context, social scientists studying Africa's development proclaimed, at the dawn of the 1990s, a "paradigmatic crisis" and embarked on a quest for new paradigms .
In advancing this quest, a number of "homegrown" development strategies have emerged. This work argues that these are mere adaptations and reconstructions of dominant Eurocentic paradigms that exaggerate the value of economic goods and wealth creation founded on a competitive marketplace by making them immutable features of development. Yet the ethic of competition theoretically condones a trajectory of killing in the quest for wealth accumulation. In this way, internalist epistemologies perpetuate epistemicide and valuecide in Africa's strides towards development.
The stranglehold of internalist epistemologies has resulted in the impasse of rationality. By this we mean that Reason, apotheosized since the Enlightenment, has advanced humanity out of barbarism to "civilization" but has now placed humanity on the brink of unredeemable barbarism. Reason, through its manifestations in the philosophy of Mutual Assured Destruction and global warming, has condemned humanity to willful but avoidable suicide.
Since the subjects and objects of development must be one and the same, development is necessarily culture-derived and culture-driven, with the preservation and improvement of human dignity and welfare as its ultimate aims. Accordingly, we defend the thesis that it is necessary for a framework meant for Africa's development to be founded on indigenous knowledge and values, if it is to succeed. And at this moment of impasse reached by Reason, an African ethics-based development paradigm, predicated on humaneness and "life is mutual aid", can restore Reason to sober rationality and liberate Africa's development efforts from the intoxicating prison of profit making.
Hence the institutions and frameworks devoted to Africa's development, such as the Constitution and Strategic Plan of the African Union as well as NEPAD, must incorporate salient features of the philosophic ethic emanating from the knowledge and ontological systems of indigenous Africa into visions of the African future.Philosophy
D. Phil. (Philosophy)
29
Du, Plessis Hanri Magdalena. "The harmonisation of good faith and ubuntu in the South African common law of contract." Thesis, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/23606.
Full textAbstract:
The legal historical development of fairness in the South African common law of contract is investigated in the context of the political, social and economic developments of the last four centuries. It emerges that the common law of contract is still dominated by the ideologies of individualism and economic liberalism which were imported from English law during the nineteenth century. Together with the theories of legal positivism and formalism which are closely related to parliamentary sovereignty and the classical rule of law, these ideals were transposed into the common law of contract through the classical model of contract law which emphasises freedom and sanctity of contract and promotes legal certainty. This approach resulted in the negation of the court’s equitable discretion and the limitation of good faith which sustain the social and economic inequalities that were created under colonialism and exacerbated under apartheid rule. In stark contrast, the modern human rights culture grounded in human dignity and aimed at the promotion of substantive equality led to the introduction of modern contract theory in other parts of the world. The introduction of the Constitution as grounded in human dignity and aimed at the achievement of substantive equality has resulted in a sophisticated jurisprudence on human dignity that reflects a harmonisation between its Western conception as based on Kantian dignity and ubuntu which provides an African understanding thereof. In this respect, ubuntu plays an important role in infusing the common law of contract with African values and in promoting substantive equality between contracting parties in line with modern contract theory. It is submitted that this approach to human dignity should result in the development of good faith into a substantive rule of the common law of contract which can be used to set aside an unfair contract term or the unfair enforcement thereof.Private Law
LL. D.
30
March, Charmaigne Caroline. "Ubuntu in action : towards the empowerment of state-appointed social workers in the Limpopo Province." Thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/3615.
Full textAbstract:
Poverty, violence, unemployment, the high rate of HIV/Aids and a lack of resources are some of the issues the South African government is currently trying to address. Victims of crime and violence have special needs that require early intervention. Studies show that if left unattended, victims may show maladjustment in their social, marital and work environments; receiving assistance and support following victimisation therefore holds many benefits for the victim. The Victim Empowerment Programme (VEP) announced by government as part of the National Crime Prevention Strategy is meant to address these needs. The VEP is a comprehensive, multifaceted, intersectoral model that brings together integrated service delivery for victims of crime and violence. One of the mandates of the Department of Social Development as the lead department of the VEP is to provide services that empower and meet the needs of communities and individuals who are considered victims.
This study seeks to justify why it is beneficial to use a participatory learning approach when designing and conducting „in-service‟ continuing professional development training courses for state-appointed social workers working within the field of victim empowerment (VE) in South Africa. It also advocates for the theoretical approaches of experiential problem-based learning and psychosocial empowerment, and discusses the use of a crossover of theories from the different disciplines of mainstream psychology, community psychology and social work.
The vision of a new South Africa based on post-1994 ANC government policies is outlined and the history of the field of socio-economic development and community development is discussed. Mainstream psychology‟s contribution to community development, and the tenets of community psychology, participation and empowerment, are applied in the design of an „in-service‟ short course.
The primary focus of the study is on the range of skills and abilities needed to initiate and maintain successful VE services. These include the following: skills in group process facilitation; skills in intersectoral collaboration (referral and networking) with other governmental departments and other healthcare professionals; knowing how to establish and maintain forums; an understanding of the principles and tools of participatory learning and action; skills required for designing, organising and
presenting workshops; project management, and the monitoring and evaluation of VE projects.
This study elucidates how critical the „in-service‟ training of VE social workers is within the new social development paradigm in South Africa, and offers key considerations and recommendations regarding future „in-service‟ training programmes/short courses for state-employed social workers involved in VE services.Psychology
D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)
31
Manda, Domoka Lucinda. "The importance of the African ethics of ubuntu and traditional African healing systems for Black South African women's health in the context of HIV and AIDS." Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/152.
Full textAbstract:
This study takes the concept of ubuntu, which means humanness and applies it to healthcare issues in general, and women's health, in particular. Ubuntu is based on the reality of interdependence and relatedness. It is a philosophy or way of life that finds its roots and meaning in humanity. The values espoused in ubuntu emphasize caring, sharing, reciprocity, co-operation, compassion and empathy in recognition that for human beings to develop, flourish and reach their full potential, they need to conduct their relationships in a manner that promotes the well-being of others. The values championed in ubuntu are what inform and shape African cultural, social, political and ethical thought and action.Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.
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Manganyi, Thokozile. "Development of a short course to inculcate the spirit of Ubuntu amongst student nurses at Limpopo College of Nursing, Limpopo province." Thesis, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/25120.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of the study was to develop a short course to inculcate the spirit of Ubuntu amongst the student nurses at Limpopo College of Nursing at Limpopo Province. A sequential explanatory research design was used and data was collected from one hundred and fifteen student nurses at the three (3) campuses for quantitative phase by means of structured interviews and ten (10) level III student nurses from each campus for qualitative phase by means of focus group discussions and reflective diaries. Ten (10) lecturers at the three campus participated in focus group discussions. Quantitative data analysis was done through descriptive analysis and findings were presented in frequencies, tables and charts. The qualitative data analysis was done through Tesch’s eight steps. There were similarities and differences in the themes and subthemes that were presented by all participants. There were also conflicting views from the same participants during qualitative and quantitative phases. The excerpts were presented to support all themes. The study found that Ubuntu needs to be inculcated through formal teaching and mentoring and that Ubuntu should be included in curriculum. Limpopo College of Nursing consists of student nurses from diverse cultures most of which are: Tsonga, Venda and Northern Sotho. They render nursing care to people of diverse cultures as globalisation has encouraged people to travel to different places. Media portrayal of the nursing care in public hospitals and clinics in South Africa is that of negativity. This is partially valid because, for example, the deterioration in nursing care in the public hospitals and clinics is as well evident in Limpopo Province in Mopani District (Bond 2002:1; Mohale & Mulaudzi 2008:61). Furthermore, Ubuntu is not effective if there is no correlation of theory and practice and evaluation of it in the clinical areas. Based on the findings and conclusion of the study, a short course on Ubuntu was developed after the consensus was reached among the participants and the experts who were consulted.Health Studies
D. Lit. et Phil. (Health Studies)
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Mankowitz, Debra J. "The African philosophical concept of Ubuntu as applied to the Emotional Intelligence of adolescents : challenging the appropriateness of Western-derived concepts." Diss., 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/25555.
Full textAbstract:
The study assessed the Emotional Intelligence/Ubuntu understanding in sixteen learners aged 11-14 from both the Low SES and High SES levels, which includes the peri- urban/disadvantaged/informal settlements and the urban/privileged areas.
The research motivated towards the conception that an inclusive Eurocentric and African approach towards education could benefit South African adolescent learners emotionally, socially and academically. Notwithstanding, providing an Emotional Intelligence framework that includes tenets of the African Philosophical paradigm of Ubuntu could enable adolescent learners to feel more empowered when confronting their socio- economic challenges. Hence, the purpose of this study was to ascertain whether the lack of formal EI/Ubuntu skills training in schools leaves learners without the competences to surmount the many challenges adolescents face during the turbulent phase of early adolescence. The aim of this study was to assess the levels of EI in a sample of adolescents from both SES levels. Qualitative methods were used in order to ascertain the impact of Western and Ubuntu epistemologies/worldviews on the adolescent learners’ Emotional Intelligence. This study also sought to determine the impact of education and role models on this sample of adolescent learners' EI/Ubuntu levels. This research also investigated how the merged EI/Ubuntu concepts can be incorporated into a life skills programme aimed at enhancing EI/Ubuntu in South African adolescent learners. In this study both quantitative and qualitative data were collected using the convergent parallel mixed method study and the paradigms that informed the study includes pragmatism, interpretivism, positivism and post-positivism. The objectives of this study includes identifying the emotional needs and EI status of adolescent learners and to investigate to what extent these are being met in the current educational system in South Africa.
The research noted the contextual factors that influence EI in adolescent learners. The research explored how adolescents align their behaviour with the values and virtues of EI and Ubuntu. The following tools were used to accomplish the aforementioned objectives; a short introduction to Ubuntu, the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire - Adolescent Short Form (TEIQue-ASF) questionnaire was utilised to obtain a measure of the individual learner’s EI. A biographical questionnaire was given to all learners in order to establish what contextual factors impact on EI/Ubuntu consciousness. An Ubuntu style
10-item questionnaire to obtain insight into individual learners’ conceptualisation of EI. A short paragraph of approximately 300 words allowed for the narrative of each learner to be explored and a 22-item semi-structured parent/teacher interview from both SES groups. Role-playing scenarios were enacted to assess the depth of EI through the identification and understanding that took place between the players and draw a person diagrams (DAP) were utilised and assessed for EI aspects such as self-esteem, levels of confidence and awareness of self. The most pertinent aspects that were revealed by this study was that Low SES learners, especially those that lived in corrugated housing felt a sense of helplessness, fear and social alienation when challenged by their extreme living conditions. The study also revealed that the High SES group struggled at forming meaningful relationships and felt panicked and stressed regarding their academic responsibilities and outcomes. Hence as both groups struggled socially, they relied on technology and Western materialism to fill the void.Psychology
M.A. (Psychology)
34
Baloyi, Lesiba. "Psychology and psychotherapy redefined from the view point of the African experience." Thesis, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/1346.
Full textAbstract:
To date, the vast literature on theories of psychology, and psychology as a practice, still
remains a reflection of Western experiences and conceptions of reality. This is so despite
"psychology" and "psychotherapy" being studied and implemented by Africans, dealing with
Africa's existential issues, in Africa. In this context, a distorted impression that positions
psychology and psychotherapy as irreplaceable and irrefutable Western discoveries is created.
This perception creates a tendency in which psychotherapists adopt and use universalised, foreign
and imposed theories to explain and deal with African cultural experiences.
In recent years, African scholars' quest to advance "African-brewed" conceptions, definitions
and practices of "psychology" and "psychotherapy" is gaining momentum. Psychologists dealing
with African clients are increasingly confronted with the difficulty, and in some instances the
impossibility, of communicating with, and treating local clients using Western conceptions and
theories. Adopting the dominant Western epistemological and scientific paradigms constitutes
epistemological oppression and alienation. Instead, African conceptions, definitions and practices
of "psychology" and "psychotherapy" based on African cultural experiences, epistemology and
ontology are argued for.
The thesis defended in this study is that the dominant Western paradigm of scientific
knowledge in general and, psychology in particular, is anchored in a defective claim to neutrality,
objectivity and universality. To demonstrate this, indigenous ways of knowing and doing in the
African experience are counterpoised against the Western understanding and construction of
scientific knowledge in the fields of psychology and psychotherapy. The conclusion arising from
our demonstration is the imperative to rethink psychology and psychotherapy in order to (i)
affirm the validity of indigenous African ways of knowing and doing; (ii) show that the exclusion
of the indigenous African ways of knowing and doing from the Western paradigm illustrates the
tenuous and questionable character of its epistemological and methodological claims to
neutrality, objectivity and universality. Indeed the Western claim to scientific knowledge, as
described, speaks to its universality at the expense of the ineradicable as well as irreducible
v
ontological pluriversality of the human experience. This study's aim is to advance the argument
for the sensitivity to pluriversality of be-ing and the imperative for wholistic thinking.Psychology
D. Phil. (Psychology)
35
Sindane, Ntando. "The call to decolonise higher education : copyright law through an African lens." Diss., 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/26678.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation reflects critically on the calls for the decolonisation of South Africa’s higher education sector by studying the historical development of legal pedagogy in South African law faculties. It focuses in particular on the intellectual property law curriculum broadly, and more specifically on the copyright law module. Africa’s colonisation by Western powers ravaged it in various ways. This is starkly illustrated in the areas of knowledge production and research. Against this background the dissertation teases out the prevailing extent, depth, and reach of colonialism in the copyright law curriculum with the aim of identifying possible ways to give practical effect to the calls for the curriculum to be decolonised.
To achieve this, the dissertation examines leading South African intellectual property law textbooks through an African lens in an express attempt to assert the pluriversal, epistemicological traditions of the global South. In each chapter and with each theme the dissertation proposes how an envisaged decolonised copyright curriculum could look.
The dissertation grapples with the various theories underpinning the decolonial discourse, laying groundwork for an academically sound basis on which to decolonise the copyright law curriculum. It provides an African critique of the Eurocentric intellectual property law ‘justifications debate’ and posits communal modes of property ownership in Africa to counter Western individualistic notions of property ownership which lend credence to the current justification debate. The dissertation analyses the nature of copyright in a work using the philosophy of Ubuntu as an alternative in teaching this theme within the curriculum. A decolonial analysis of the requirements for copyright is offered, and it is argued that the current sta-ndards and threshold used for the subsistence of copyright is colonial and furthers the onslaught on the Black Body, both in its practical application and in how it is taught. The dissertation concludes by studying copyright exceptions, critically urging the academy to apply a differentiated model of exceptions to different jurisdictions in light of their colonial history (and present).Lomtlolo utjheja ihlangothi lokufuna bona kutjhugululwe iimfundo zemkhakheni wezefundo ephakamileko yangeSewula Afrika ngokufunda ngetuthuko yokufunda kanye nokufundisa ngemNyangweni wabajameli. Utjheja khulu umthetho wepahla wezefundo khudlwana kanye nomthetho welungelo lokukhuphela. Ukuthunjwa kweAfrika ngabamhlophe kone ngeendlela ezinengi. Lokhu kutjengiswa kumbi mikhakha ekhiqiza ilwazi kanye nerhubhululako. Ngalesi isendlalelo lomtlolo utjheja ngokudephileko ukobana ukuthunjwa kweAfrika ngabamhlophe kulethe muphi umuthelela ngehlangothini lomthetho welungelo lokukhuphela lezefundo ngomqopho wokufumana iindlela nofana iinzathu zokobana kutjhugululwe ifundo yangeemfundweni eziphakamileko. Ukuphumelelisa lokhu, lomtlolo uhlahluba iincwadi zobuhlakaniphi bomthetho wepahla ngokutjheja indlela yokwenza izinto ngeSewula. Isahluko esinye nesinye kanye nommongo omunye nomunye utjheja bona ifundo etjhugululweko ingaba njani. Lomtlolo utjheja amathiyori atlolweko kanye nekukhulunywa ngawo lawo akhe umkhanyo wokutjhugulula zefundo. Utjheja isiphoqo seAfrika ngobuhlakaniphi babamhlophe ngomthetho wepahla ‘ikulumopikiswano yesizathu sokwenza okuthileko’ begodu ibeka ngaphambili indlela yokwabelana ipahlo eAfrika ukulwisana nendlela yabamhlophe yokungabelani ipahlo ekubange ikulumopikiswano yesizathu sokwenza okuthileko. Lomtlolo uhlaziya isisusa sokukhuphela ngokutjheja ikolelo yegama elithi ‘Ubuntu’ njengegama elisetjenziswa lokha nakufundiswa lommongo eemfundweni. Indlela etjhugululweko yokuhlaziya iimfuneko sokukhuphela yindlela yabamhlophe begodu igandelela indlu enzima, ngendlela yokwenza kanye nangendlela efundiswa ngayo. Lomtlolo uphetha ngokufunda isiphambuki sokukhuphela, ngokubawa isikolo ukobana sisebenzise indlela ehlukileko kunaleyo ebegade isetjenziswa ngabamhlophe ekadeni kanye nesikhathini sanje.
Private Law
LL.M. (Intellectual Property Law)
36
Du, Toit Michael Teshert. "Die instelling van 'n uitgebreide korporatistiese politieke ekonomie in Suid-Afrika." Thesis, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/25338.
Full textAbstract:
Text in Afrikaans with abstracts in Afrikaans, English and isiZuluIn sy haas om in die globale ekonomie geïntegreer te word, na baie jare van polities-ekonomiese isolasie – en dus volle lidmaatskap van die internasionale gemeenskap te verkry – het die na-apartheid staat die ekonomiese raamwerk van die vryemarkstelsel aanvaar, gebaseer op die beginsels van neo-liberale kapitalisme as sy normatiewe basis om die “nalatenskap van apartheid” aan te spreek. Die aanvaarding van die ekonomiese model van neo-liberale kapitalisme is egter problematies in soverre dit betekenisvol misluk het om na-apartheid Suid-Afrika se mees fundamentele moreel-polities-ekonomiese uitdaging, naamlik armoede, aan te spreek en te oorkom. Hierdie tesis bied ʼn alternatiewe ekonomiese model aan, naamlik uitgebreide korporatisme. Terwyl die neo-liberale ekonomiese model individuele belange beklemtoon (gebaseer op die filosofiese beginsel van outonomie in die ekonomiese sfeer), beklemtoon die korporatistiese model, daarenteen, kollektiewe belange (gebaseer op die filosofiese beginsel van kollektiewe eienaarskap en verantwoordelikheid). Die voorspraak vir uitgebreide korporatisme poog om die volgende aansprake te bewys: 1. Die vryemarkstelsel moet behoue bly, maar een of ander vorm van strategiese ingryping is nodig sodat bepaalde sosio-politieke en ekonomiese doelwitte bereik kan word. 2. Die huidige vorm van korporatisme in Suid-Afrika is “drieledigisme” (ʼn swak vorm van korporatisme). ʼn Uitgebreide korporatistiese politieke ekonomie kan teweeg gebring word deur die instelling van korporasies, die instelling van ʼn ekonomiese wetgewende gesagsliggaam, arbeidshowe en gesentraliseerde salarisonderhandelinge. 3. Uitgebreide korporatisme kan Suid-Afrika se sosio-ekonomiese probleme aanspreek. Transformasie kan bevorder word deur ʼn paradigmaverskuiwing weg van die liberale kapitalisme, ʼn magsverskuiwing weg van die wit kapitalistiese enklave en ʼn verspreidingsverskuiwing ten gunste van die swart verarmde laerklasse. 4. Alle ekonomiese sektore en private industrieë en bedrywe moet onder die beheer van korporasies gebring word. Die staat en arbeid moet vennote by private industrieë en bedrywe word. Op dieselfde wyse moet kapitaal ʼn vennoot by staatsondernemings word. In konklusie, die aanvaarding van uitgebreide korporatisme in Suid-Afrika sal verseker dat die staat, kapitaal en arbeid saamwerk en dat ekonomiese geregtigheid en harmonie sal seëvier.
In its haste to be integrated into the global economy, following many years of political-economic isolation – and thus assume full membership in the international community – the post-apartheid state adopted the economic framework of the free market system, based on the principles of neoliberal capitalism as its normative foundation for addressing the “legacy of apartheid”. The adoption of the economic model of neoliberal capitalism has, however, proved to be problematic insofar as it has failed significantly to address and thus overcome post-apartheid South Africa‟s most fundamental moral-political-economic challenge, namely poverty. This thesis offers an alternative economic model, namely extended corporatism. While the neoliberal economic model emphasises individual interest (based on the philosophical principle of autonomy in the economic sphere), the corporatist model, in contrast, emphasises collective interest (based on the philosophical principle of collective ownership and responsibility). The advocacy of extended corporativism is based on the following key claims: 1. The free market system must be retained, but some form of strategic intervention is necessary so that certain socio-political and economic results can be achieved. 2. The current form of corporatism in South Africa is in fact tripartism (a weak form of corporatism). An extended corporatist political economy can by brought about by the implementation of corporations, the establishment of an economic legislative body, labour courts and centralised wage bargaining. 3. Extended corporatism can address South Africa‟s socio-economic problems. Transformation can be promoted by a paradigm shift away from liberal capitalism, a power shift away from the white capitalist enclave and a distribution shift in favour of the black impoverished lower classes. 4. All economic sectors as well as private industries and businesses must be brought under the control of corporations. The state and labour must become partners in private industries and businesses. In the same way capital must become a partner in state enterprises. In conclusion, the adoption of extended corporatism in South Africa will ensure that state, capital and labour work together and that economic justice and harmony will prevail.
Ekuxhamezeleni kombuso owasungulwa emva kokuphela kobandlululo kuleli, ngenjongo yokuthi udidiyelwe emnothweni womhlaba, kulandela iminyaka eminingi ukhishwe inyumbazana kwezepolitiki nakwezomnotho – futhi ukuze uthathe indawo yawo njengelungu eligcwele lomphakathi wamazwe ngamazwe – waqoka ukwamukela nokusebenzisa uhlaka lwezomnotho lohlelo-kuhwebelana olukhululekile, olwakhelwe phezu kwemigomo yenqubo-mnotho ekhululekile yogombelakwesakhe, njengesisekelo-nkambiso sayo sokubhekana “nokhondolo lobandlululo”. Kodwa-ke, ukwamukelwa nokusetshenziswa kwemodeli yezomnotho yenqubo-mnotho ekhululekile yogombelakwesakhe, sekubonise ukuba yinkinga impela njengoba sekuhluleke kwancama ukunqoba inselele enkulukazi eNingizimu Afrika selokhu kwaphela ubandlululo, yokuqinisekisa ukubhekelelwa komuntu wonke, ephathelene nezepolitiki kanye nezomnotho, okuyinselele yobubha. Lo mbhalo wetisisi uhlinzeka ngemodeli yezomnotho ehlukile engasetshenziswa, futhi leyo modeli wubukopeletsheni obeluliwe (extended corporatism). Njengoba inqubo-mnotho ekhululekile yogombelakwesakhe igcizelela izidingo nezimfuno zomuntu ngamunye, (ezisekelwe phezu komgomo wefilosofi yokuzimela kwezomnotho), imodeli yobukopeletsheni ngakolunye uhlangothi yona igcizelela izidingo nezimfuno zabantu ngokuhlanganyela (ezisekelwe phezu komgomo wefilosofi yobunikazi obuhlanganyelwe kanye nesibopho esihlanganyelwe). Ukwesekwa kanye nokukhuthazwa kobukopeletsheni obeluliwe kusekelwe phezu kwalezi zitatimende ezisemqoka: 1. Uhlelo-kuhwebelana olukhululekile kumele lugcinwe, kodwa-ke kuyadingeka ukungenelela okuthile okukhethekile ukuze kuzuzwe imiphumela ethile yezenhlalo-politiki kanye nezomnotho. 2. Uhlobo lobukopeletsheni olukhona njengamanje kuleli, eqinisweni, luwubukopeletsheni obungunxantathu (obubandakanya isivumelwano phakathi kwabaqashi, izinyunyana zabasebenzi kanye nohulumeni), i-tripartism (okuwuhlobo lobukopeletsheni oluntekenteke kakhulu). Umnotho wezepolitiki oncike kubukopeletsheni obeluliwe ungalethwa ngokuqaliswa kokopeletsheni, nangokusungulwa kwenhlangano eshaya imithetho ephathelene nezomnotho, nezinkantolo zabasebenzi kanye nokuxoxisana ngamaholo okwenziwa esigcawini esisodwa esibandakanya zonke izinhlaka ezithintekayo. 3. Ubukopeletsheni obeluliwe bungazixazulula izinkinga zenhlalo-mnotho ezibhekene neNingizimu Afrika. Uguquko lungagqugquzeleka ngokuthi kuphunywe kwinqubo ekhululekile yomnotho wogombelakwesakhe, futhi kuphunywe ngaphansi kwenqubo yomnotho wogombelakwesakhe abamhlophe, kuguqukelwe emnothweni obhekelela abantu abamnyama abasemazingeni aphansi ababhuqabhuqwa wububha nenhlupheko. 4. Yonke imikhakha yomnotho kanjalo nezimboni namabhizinisi azimele kumele kufakwe ngaphansi kolawulo lokopeletsheni. Umbuso kanye nabasebenzi kumele babambisane nezimboni namabhizinisi. Ngendlela efanayo, ogombelakwesakhe nabo kumele babambisane namabhizinisi ombuso. Uma sengiphetha, ukwamukelwa nokusetshenziswa kobukopeletsheni obeluliwe eNingizimu Afrika kuyoqinisekisa ukuthi umbuso, ogombelakwesakhe kanye nabasebenzi basebenza ngokubambisana futhi kanjalo lokho kuyoletha ubulungiswa bezomnotho kanye nokuzwana.
Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology
D. Litt. et Phil. (Philosophy)
37
McCallum, Carita. "Beyond equality and difference: empowerment of black professional women in post-apartheid South Africa." Thesis, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/1852.
Full textAbstract:
South Africa has embarked on a journey of transformation since 1994. The ruling ANC has introduced many policies aimed at achieving equality, known as "black empowerment". The `empowerment' of black women professionals is especially critical in the transformation era. Empowerment is defined as a process, which "involves individuals gaining control of their lives and fulfilling their needs, …as a result of developing the competencies, skills, and abilities necessary to effectively participate in their social and political worlds" (Kreisberg, 1992:19). From this perspective, empowerment is the essential expression of individualism and self-determination since it embodies the belief that the individual has the ability to effect changes and improve their lives. This individually oriented definition presupposes the importance of constructing one's `self' as unitary and independent. The `unitary self' is a support of the logic of the `Same', which entails the exclusion of otherness and difference. In contrast to this approach, the postmodern theory of Julia Kristeva, with its inherent suspicion of doctrines of pure origins and essences, is corrosive of discourses such as `empowerment' that are developed according to the logic of the Same. Kristeva proposes a subject which is always already `in process'. Identity is a constructed process, rather than a fundamental essence. The Oedipal model, extracted from the Kristevan theory of subjectivity, shows how the nine professional women who partook in this study constructed their selves by placing equality and difference in an antithetical relationship. However, a deconstruction of the Oedipal model opens the construct up to its blind spots and, these subjects are shown to base their identities on the splitting off of their feminine capabilities. Instead of being `unitary self', the subjects are subjects-in-process, and they operate both across and within the competing discourses of traditional femininity and masculinity. As a possible alternative to the positivist paradigm of `empowerment', a Kristevan `herethics' is considered. In South Africa, this is exemplified by the `ubuntu' principle, which entails the recognition of our interdependence. Finally, in order to assist these professional women to embrace the alterity within, whilst competing in a constantly changing and intellectually challenging world, life skills coaching which focuses on the often repressed, emotional aspects, is recommended.Psychology
D.Litt et Phil. (Psychology)
38
Blomkamp, Casey Megan. "Social welfare in South Africa : a legal-philosophical analysis." Diss., 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/25578.
Full textAbstract:
A large portion of the population of South Africa is made up of people who, due to poverty, disability, old age and/or lack of education, rely solely on social assistance provided by the government for their survival. The issue of the welfare state in terms of responding to these issues has been subject to increasingly heated debates especially with regard to long-term socio-economic improvements, moral obligations and economic sustainability.
This dissertation generally explores the status of social welfare in South Africa, and more specifically, South Africa’s socio-economic status as a welfare state against the backdrop of selected philosophical arguments used to justify and criticize existing social welfare laws in South Africa, whilst keeping South Africa’s unique history in mind. Although South Africa already has a detailed set of social welfare laws and policies, the social and economic needs of the country are ever evolving and therefore it is important that these laws and policies be constantly re-evaluated in order to ensure that they are effective in addressing and meeting the changing socio-economic and other demands.Jurisprudence
LL. M. (Jurisprudence)
39
Viriri, Eunitah. "The promotion of unhu in Zimbabwean secondary schools through the teaching of Shona literature : Masvingo urban district, a case study." Thesis, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/23737.
Full textAbstract:
This study examines the extent to which the teaching of Shona novels can be used to
promote unhu (humanness) in Zimbabwean secondary schools where there has been a
call for the teaching of cultural values. The school syllabi for Shona make this position
abundantly clear. For that reason, anchoring the discussion on the role of literature in
Africa as expounded by African scholars such as Ngugi wa Thiong’o (1981), p’Bitek
(1986) and Achebe (1989) among others, the study observes that literature plays an
important role in moulding character through advancing unhu. For instance, as Achebe
(1989) argues that the novelist is a teacher, the study therefore locates literature as a
life-affirming and life-extending affair. The discussion of the role of literature as a
potential conduit for expressing unhu takes place within the theoretical confines of
Afrocentricity, an African-centred theory that places the interests of Africa at the centre
of any analysis involving African people. The selected novels namely Pfumo Reropa
(1961), Kunyarara Hakusi Kutaura? (1983) and Ndafa Here? (2007) are therefore
interrogated from an Afrocentric point of view. The three novels are representative of
different historical epochs in Zimbabwe’s cultural trajectory. In addition, they have
featured quite prominently on the school syllabi for Shona. Through a combination of
interviews and critical analysis of the novels, the study crucially observes that the proper
teaching of literature can effectively transform the thinking of learners thereby locating
them in their own cultural platforms. However, for this to happen, teachers must be
properly trained in order that they develop an appreciation of the value of literature in
imparting unhu among learners. As a result, the study thus proposes sufficient
conscientisation of teachers and learners on the concept and practice of unhu be
systematically carried out. At the same, there is need for greater planning in
constructing a more informing syllabus, as well as the deliberate inclusion of texts that
canonise unhu.African Languages
D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)
40
Nortjé, Johannes Andries. "Holographic memoirs of a dream : the invention of tram hopping." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/7042.
Full textAbstract:
The medium is the message in the first place: the medium as presence, as the author. His
contribution to the academic world is his academic Holographic Memoirs. His story, the
author's memoirs, is a fictive-narrative discourse with an organic ubuntu open-endedness.
The Hologram is both an autobiography, but also all the information at all places
simultaneously – nonlocal in quantum physical terms - within an intense hallucinating
dream: no illusion, but rather a HyperReality with all its Virtual Identities. The invention of
tram hopping is the plot of the story. The plot is like an hourglass where the first part of the
story is the emptying of the sand, the deconstruction of modernism, but while the top
chamber runs empty and the bottom chamber fills up, so the deconstruction is
simultaneously a dependent arising/(social) construction/ubuntuing to revival – the
synagogal Shekinah presence of YAHWEH. The top chamber is the unreasonable
Newtonian physics and the bottom chamber reasonable quantum physics. The
metaphysics (before the physics) of the top chamber is poststructuralism and
deconstruction, while the bottom chamber is the virtual Hebraic worldview that delutively
merges ubuntu and Buddhism. The long narrow neck in the middle is the moonily narrative
that lives us with psychology (Psycho-logic) lost in sociology (Social-physics).
Hermeneutics is set forth in the same contrasting hourglass of the top chamber, the
inherited tradition, emptying to what it should accomplish – (virtual) presence.Philosophy & Systematic Theology
D. Th. (Systematic Theology)
41
Nortje, Johannes Andries. "Holographic memoirs of a dream : the invention of tram hopping." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/7042.
Full textAbstract:
The medium is the message in the first place: the medium as presence, as the author. His
contribution to the academic world is his academic Holographic Memoirs. His story, the
author's memoirs, is a fictive-narrative discourse with an organic ubuntu open-endedness.
The Hologram is both an autobiography, but also all the information at all places
simultaneously – nonlocal in quantum physical terms - within an intense hallucinating
dream: no illusion, but rather a HyperReality with all its Virtual Identities. The invention of
tram hopping is the plot of the story. The plot is like an hourglass where the first part of the
story is the emptying of the sand, the deconstruction of modernism, but while the top
chamber runs empty and the bottom chamber fills up, so the deconstruction is
simultaneously a dependent arising/(social) construction/ubuntuing to revival – the
synagogal Shekinah presence of YAHWEH. The top chamber is the unreasonable
Newtonian physics and the bottom chamber reasonable quantum physics. The
metaphysics (before the physics) of the top chamber is poststructuralism and
deconstruction, while the bottom chamber is the virtual Hebraic worldview that delutively
merges ubuntu and Buddhism. The long narrow neck in the middle is the moonily narrative
that lives us with psychology (Psycho-logic) lost in sociology (Social-physics).
Hermeneutics is set forth in the same contrasting hourglass of the top chamber, the
inherited tradition, emptying to what it should accomplish – (virtual) presence.Philosophy and Systematic Theology
D. Th. (Systematic Theology)
42
Forster, Dion Angus. "Validation of individual consciousness in strong artificial intelligence : an African theological contribution." Thesis, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/2361.
Full textAbstract:
The notion of identity has always been central to the human person's understanding of self. The question "who am I?" is fundamental to human being. Answers to this question have come from a wide range of academic disciplines. Philosophers, theologians, scientists, sociologists and anthropologists have all sought to offer some insight.
The question of individual identity has traditionally been answered from two broad perspectives. The objectivist approach has sought to answer the question through empirical observation - you are a mammal, you are a homo-sapien, you are male, you are African etc. The subjectivist approach has sought to answer the question through phenomenological exploration - I understand myself to be sentient, I remember my past, I feel love etc.
A recent development in the field of computer science has however shown a shortcoming in both of these approaches. Ray Kurzweil, a theorist in strong artificial intelligence, suggests the possibility of an interesting identity crisis. He suggests that if a machine could be programmed and built to accurately and effectively emulate a person's conscious experience of being `self' it could lead to a crisis of identity. In an instance where the machine and the person it is emulating cannot be either objectively distinguished (i.e., both display the same characteristics of the person in question), or subjectively distinguish themselves (i.e., both believe themselves to be the `person in question' since both have an experience of being that person. This experience could be based on memory, emotion, understanding and other subjective realities) how is the true identity of the individual validated? What approach can be employed in order to distinguish which of the two truly is the `person in question' and which is the `emulation of that person'?
This research investigates this problem and presents a suggested solution to it. The research begins with an investigation of the claims of strong artificial intelligence and discusses Ray Kurzweil's hypothetical identity crisis. It also discusses various approaches to consciousness and identity, showing both their value and shortfall within the scope of this identity conundrum. In laying the groundwork for the solution offered in this thesis, the integrative theory of Ken Wilber is presented as a model that draws on the strengths of the objectivist and subjectivist approaches to consciousness, yet also emphasises the need for an approach which is not only based on individual data (i.e., the objectivist - you are, or subjectivist - I am). Rather, it requires an intersubjective knowing of self in relation to others.
The outcome of this research project is an African Theological approach to self-validating consciousness in strong artificial intelligence. This takes the form of an African Theology of relational ontology. The contribution falls within the ambit of Christian anthropology and Trinitarian theology - stressing the Christian belief that true identity is both shaped by, and discovered in, relationship with others. The clearest expression of this reality is to be found in the African saying Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu (A person is a person through other persons).Systematic Theology
D. Th.
43
Akor, Eusebius Ugochukwu. "In quest for an ethical and ideal post-colonial African democratic state : the cases of Nigeria and South Africa." Thesis, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/25445.
Full textAbstract:
Text in English, abstract in English, Afrikaans and Northern SothoThis study examines why post-colonial African states are not able to institutionalise the ideal ethical and democratic societies, given their access to international best practices and the abundance of human and natural resources; why the future of democracy in Africa remains uncertain despite the current efforts at democratisation; if western democracy can be implemented in Africa; why the West is able to produce better systems of governance; why leaders and managers find it daunting to create the kind of society that is inspiring, ethical, immune to bureaucracy, and that possesses excellent economic performance; how leaders, members of the community, bureaucrats, corporate executives and managers can contribute to the realisation of the ethical and ideal African state; and the options for alternative democratic order for the African continent. The inability of post-colonial African states to institute systems and strategies that adequately address the needs and expectations of their citizens has created chaos and anarchy that in some states can be likened to Hobbes state of nature where the weak is at the mercy of the strong and life is nasty, brutish and short. While the West has been largely blamed for playing a significant role in Africa’s inability to effectively manage itself, other theorists criticise African leaders and the community members for their inability to conduct themselves ethically and to implement a constructive and effective system of governance. It is imperative that African states devise adequate means of ethically administering their territories in a manner that meets societal expectations and needs, and in order to avoid intractable socio-political and economic complications.
Hierdie studie ondersoek die redes waarom postkoloniale Afrika-lande nie die ideale etiese en demokratiese samelewings instabiliseer nie, gegewe hul toegang tot internasionale beste praktyke en die oorvloed van menslike en natuurlike hulpbronne; waarom die toekoms van demokrasie in Afrika onduidelik bly ten spyte van die huidige pogings vir demokratisering; as westerse demokrasie in Afrika geïmplementeer kan word; waarom die Weste beter stelsels van bestuur kan lewer; hoekom leiers en bestuurders dit skrikwekkend vind om die soort samelewing wat inspirerend, eties, immuun vir burokrasie is, te skep en wat uitstekende ekonomiese prestasie besit; hoe leiers, lede van die gemeenskap, burokrate, korporatiewe bestuurders en bestuurders kan bydra tot die verwesenliking van die etiese en ideale Afrika-staat; en die opsies vir alternatiewe demokratiese orde vir die Afrika-kontinent. Die onvermoë van post-koloniale Afrika-state om stelsels en strategieë in te stel wat die behoeftes en verwagtinge van hul burgers voldoende aanspreek, het chaos en anargie geskep wat in sommige state vergelykbaar kan wees met Hobbes se toestand van die natuur, waar die swakeling aan die genade van die wat sterk is afhanklik is en die lewe ‘n nare, brutaal en kort lewe is. Terwyl die Weste grotendeels die blaam kry in terme van hul groot bydra in Afrika se onvermoë om homself doeltreffend te bestuur, kritiseer ander teoretici Afrika-leiers en die gemeenskapslede vir hul eie onvermoë om eties op te tree en om 'n konstruktiewe en effektiewe bestuurstelsel te implementeer. Dit is noodsaaklik dat Afrika-state voldoende middele voorsien om hul gebiede eties te administreer op 'n wyse wat voldoen aan maatskaplike verwagtinge en behoeftes, en om onwikkelbare sosio-politieke en ekonomiese komplikasies te vermy.
Thuto ye e lekola mabaka a gore ke eng dinaga tša ka morago ga bokoloneale di sa kgone go hloma dipeakanyo tša maswanedi tša maitshwaro le ditšhaba tša temokrasi, tšeo di filwego phihlelelo go ditiro tše kaonekaone tša boditšhabatšhaba le bontši bja methopo ya semotho le tlhago: ke ka lebaka la eng Bodikela bo kgona go tšweletša mekgwa ye kaone ya pušo; ke ka lebaka la eng baetapele le balaodi ba hwetša go le boima go hlama mokgwa wa setšhaba seo se nago le mafolofolo, maitshwaro, se sa huetšwego ke mokgwa wa pušo wo o diphetho di tšewago ke bahlanka ba mmušo bao ba sa kgethwago, gomme ba na le tiro ye kgahlišago ka ikonomi; ka moo baetapele, maloko a setšhaba, batšeasephetho ba mmušo ba sa kgethwago, malokopharephare a dikoporasi le balaodi ba ka aba mo go phihlelelong ya maitshwaro le naga ya maswanedi ya Afrika; le go dikgetho tša peakanyo ye e hlatlolanago ya temokrasi mo kontinenteng ya Afrika. Go se kgone ga dinaga tša ka morago ga bokoloneale go hlama mekgwa le maano ao a maleba a go bolela ka ga dinyakwa le ditetelo tša baagi ba bona di hlotše tlhakatlhakano le tlhokapušo yeo mo go dinaga tše dingwe e ka bapetšwago le naga ya Hobbes ka tlhago moo mofokodi a lego ka fase ga yo maatla gomme bophelo bo se bose, bo le šoro le go ba bjo bokopana. Mola Bodikela bo pharwa molato kudu mo go bapaleng karolo ye e tšweletšego mo go se kgonego ga Afrika go itaola ka tshwanelo, borateori ba bangwe ba solago baetapele ba Afrika le maloko a setšhaba mo go se kgonego go itshwara gabotse le go phethagatša mokgwa wo hlamilwego gabotse wo o šomago wa pušo. A bonagala gore dinaga tša Afrika di loga maano a makaone a go laola ka tshwanelo dinagadilete tša bona ka mokgwa wo o tla fihlelelago ditetelo tša setšhaba le dinyakwa, le gore go thibelwe go se boelemorago ga dipolotiki tša selegae le tlhakatlhakano ya ikonomi.
Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology
D. Litt. et Phil. (Philosophy)