Nietzsche and Ubuntu

Bamford, Rebecca

doi:10.4314/sajpem.v26i1.31464

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Though in this article I focus sustained attention on a single account of ubuntu (Shutte, 2001), one that more or less represents the prestigious definition of ubuntu and exemplifies the problems of theorizing it, ubuntu (or its variants) has in fact been the subject of a number of attempted definitions (Samkange & Samkange, 1980;Menkiti, 1984;Broodryk, 2002;Bujo, 2001;Gyekye, 1987;Mokgoro, 1998;Masolo, 2004;Ramose, & 2003Tangwa, 1996;Verhoef & Michel, 1997;Wiredu, 1996;Enslin & Horsthemke, 2004;Cornell & van Marle, 2005;Metz, 2007Metz, & 2011Metz & Gaie, 2010;Mokgoro & Woolman, 2012;Bamford, 2007;Praeg, 2008;Letseka, 2012;Cornell, 2011Cornell, , 2012. The settled definition of choice seems to always return, again and again, to the saying "umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu" (in Nguni languages), "motho ke motho ka batho" (in Sotho languages), "a person is a person through other persons" (in English), and so on.…”

Section: Setting the Scenementioning

confidence: 99%

May the RealUbuntuPlease Stand Up?

Mboti

2015

Journal of Media Ethics

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This article defends an alternative account of ubuntu, and makes a novel proposition about African morality and ethics. In doing so, it refutes the normative account of ubuntu premised on the aphorism umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu (persons are persons through other persons).According to this "greatest harmony" account, Africans are harmonic collectivists and sharers, linked together by community-defining conveyor-belts of moral and ethical goodwill "gifts". It is assumed that an African theory of right action produces harmony and reduces discord. I aver, however, that such a prima facie interpretation, notwithstanding its intuitive appeal, is still open to some rather strong doubt.

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Section: Setting the Scenementioning

confidence: 99%

May the RealUbuntuPlease Stand Up?

Mboti

2015

Journal of Media Ethics

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“…In contrast, in a collective membership orientation, relationships, and interindividual aspects, such as group membership, acceptance, and belonging, are seen as more important parts of identity. The African concept of Ubuntu , which advocates personhood through others (Bamford, 2007), is similar to the idea of a collective membership orientation. The concept focuses on how one relates to others and involves a self-definition in which others play a crucial role.…”

Section: A Model Of Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Identity in Descriptions of Others Across Ethnic Groups in South Africa

Adams

Vijver

Bruin

et al. 2014

Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology

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We examined the structure of identity implied in descriptions of others in four South African ethnic groups (Black, Coloured, Indian, and White). We tested the validity of an identity model with attributes, relational orientation, situational aspects, ideology, and valence as constituent dimensions of other-identity, and social distance as a moderator of constituent dimensions. Data were collected from 1,160 participants who provided descriptions of individuals they knew (parents, friends, grandparents, neighbors, and teachers) in semistructured interviews. Results confirmed that relational orientation provides a better conceptual framework of otheridentity than individualism-collectivism: Personal orientation (individualism) and collective membership orientation (collectivism) are situated at the endpoints of the relational orientation dimension, with implicit and explicit relational orientation placed in between. We found that ethnic differences are most salient in implicit and explicit relational orientation categories in White and Black South Africans, respectively. We found that the identity of distal individuals was described in less abstract and more norm-regulated terms than the identity of proximal individuals. We concluded that all dimensions of the model are relevant for other-identity.

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“…Ubuntu constitutes the root of African belief systems and cultures, representing both African philosophies and ways of life, in that conceptualisations of 'a good life' are based on the recognition of the interdependence of all beings (Bamford 2007;Nkondo 2007). From the 1990s, Ubuntu has been embraced as the concept that best exemplifies African cosmology.…”

Section: Ubuntumentioning

confidence: 98%