An Exposition of the Relevance of Ubuntu Philosophy in Social Work: A Humanistic Social Work Perspective

Social work has been dominated by Eurocentric paradigms since its inception. The aim of this thesis is to expose Ubuntu philosophy as a Global South theoretical alternative to decolonise social work. The objectives of this thesis are to analyse the relevance of Ubuntu philosophy through the Global Definition of Social Work; position Ubuntu philosophy in Humanistic-Existential Social Work; defend the application of Ubuntu philosophy in Clinical Social Work; evaluate the applicability of Ubuntu philosophy in Environmental Social Work and Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs); and advance Decolonial Social Work approaches by promoting Ubuntu Philosophy. Critical appropriation of Ubuntu philosophy, conceptual analysis and expositions are utilised to demonstrate the application of Ubuntu philosophy to social work domains. In view of the ideas of Humanistic work (existential, transpersonal and constructivist domains), the exposition of Ubuntu as a Humanistic philosophy is put forward, though appreciating that Ubuntu pre-dates the Humanistic approach. Spirituality being one component left out in most social work theories; this thesis offers a spiritual lens to assessments in clinical social work. In a world that is facing increasing occurrences of wars, pandemics, climate change and poverty, it is important to reflect on Ubuntu philosophy to promote solidarity, human dignity, cooperation and human rights in the face of these challenges. The thesis explores the rights of nature through the axiom of Ubuntu and the Humanistic concepts of homo, sacra res homini which consider man as an object of reverence in the eyes of other man. By considering an Indigenous Knowledge System (IKS) in the form of Ubuntu philosophy, the work contributes to decolonial social work. The thesis expatiates the relevance of Ubuntu philosophy to Social Work domains such as Environmental Social Work, Clinical Social Work, Human Rights Based Social Work, International Social Work, Social Development and other domains. Establishing Ubuntu’s relevance to Social Work should never be viewed as undermining any philosophy but as a step towards multiculturalism and global mindfulness. The synthesis of 11 articles presented in this thesis show that this body of works advances Value-Based Social Work, Human-Rights Based Social Work, Decolonial Social Work and Anti-Racist Social Work, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Holistic Approaches to Social Work practice, Spirituality in Social Work and Environmental Social Work. The thesis recommends the use of Ubuntu Philosophy in all the above areas of Social Work practice. This research has methodological limitations to conceptual analysis and critical theoretical appropriation to explore why Ubuntu Philosophy is a Global South theoretical alternative to decolonise social work. Future research can utilise interviews and surveys to explore the views of Ubuntu Social Work practitioners on the efficacy of the philosophy as a theoretical alternative to decolonise social work.