What isUbuntu,? Different Interpretations among South Africans of African Descent

Abstract

In this article, I describe and systematize the different answers to the question 'What is ubuntu?' that I have been able to identify among South Africans of African descent (SAADs). I show that it is possible to distinguish between two clusters of answers. The answers of the first cluster all define ubuntu as a moral quality of a person, while the answers of the second cluster all define ubuntu as a phenomenon (for instance a philosophy, an ethic, African humanism, or, a worldview) according to which persons are interconnected. The concept of a person is of central importance to all the answers of both clusters, which means that to understand these answers, it is decisive to raise the question of who counts as a person according to SAADs. I show that some SAADs define all Homo sapiens as persons, whereas others hold the view that only some Homo sapiens count as persons: only those who are black, only those who have been incorporated into personhood, or only those who behave in a morally acceptable manner. 1 I want to thank all the people from South Africa who have informed me about their understanding of ubuntu. Furthermore, I want to direct special thanks to the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in Cape Town, the Khulumani Support Group, Prince Velekhaya Shange from the Zulu Royal House, and Bodil Sandegaard for helping me to set up interviews. Thanks also to

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