Julia S Rotzinger, Lene Arnett Jensen, Amber Gayle Thalmayer
{"title":"Ubuntu in Namibia and Kenya: How Emerging Adults Live an Essential African Value Today.","authors":"Julia S Rotzinger, Lene Arnett Jensen, Amber Gayle Thalmayer","doi":"10.1177/00220221241309863","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Psychology in Africa often relies on Euro-American theories, despite their limitations in African cultures. Here, a shift to an Afrocentric perspective was made by exploring <i>Ubuntu</i> in two sub-Saharan African countries using a cultural-developmental psychology approach for in-depth emic understanding. Ubuntu (also known as <i>botho</i>, etc.) is a moral ideal that at core means placing a higher importance on the community than on oneself. Most literature on this important African concept has been theoretical rather than empirical, and little is known about how well it describes contemporary worldviews and experiences of emerging adults. In this interview study, Namibian and Kenyan emerging adults (ages 18-20 years, <i>N</i> = 23) shared their views on, identification with, and behaviors shaped by Ubuntu values. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to develop four themes that convey the advantages and disadvantages described: I am because I am connected; Together we do better; Following and passing on traditions; and Costs of community-freeloaders and restrictions. Findings support the theoretical literature on Ubuntu while contributing the voices of a new generation, coming of age into a mix of tradition and globalization. Participants identified strongly with Ubuntu values and practiced them in old and new ways. They also sometimes desired more autonomy in the realms of education and spirituality. This empirical study on Ubuntu offers insights into the lived experience of a philosophy and values of ongoing importance in the African region and sets the stage for a research agenda to integrate this important construct into cross-cultural psychology.</p>","PeriodicalId":48354,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology","volume":"56 2","pages":"194-213"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11896755/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00220221241309863","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/1/20 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Psychology in Africa often relies on Euro-American theories, despite their limitations in African cultures. Here, a shift to an Afrocentric perspective was made by exploring Ubuntu in two sub-Saharan African countries using a cultural-developmental psychology approach for in-depth emic understanding. Ubuntu (also known as botho, etc.) is a moral ideal that at core means placing a higher importance on the community than on oneself. Most literature on this important African concept has been theoretical rather than empirical, and little is known about how well it describes contemporary worldviews and experiences of emerging adults. In this interview study, Namibian and Kenyan emerging adults (ages 18-20 years, N = 23) shared their views on, identification with, and behaviors shaped by Ubuntu values. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to develop four themes that convey the advantages and disadvantages described: I am because I am connected; Together we do better; Following and passing on traditions; and Costs of community-freeloaders and restrictions. Findings support the theoretical literature on Ubuntu while contributing the voices of a new generation, coming of age into a mix of tradition and globalization. Participants identified strongly with Ubuntu values and practiced them in old and new ways. They also sometimes desired more autonomy in the realms of education and spirituality. This empirical study on Ubuntu offers insights into the lived experience of a philosophy and values of ongoing importance in the African region and sets the stage for a research agenda to integrate this important construct into cross-cultural psychology.
期刊介绍:
Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology publishes papers that focus on the interrelationships between culture and psychological processes. Submitted manuscripts may report results from either cross-cultural comparative research or results from other types of research concerning the ways in which culture (and related concepts such as ethnicity) affect the thinking and behavior of individuals as well as how individual thought and behavior define and reflect aspects of culture. Review papers and innovative reformulations of cross-cultural theory will also be considered. Studies reporting data from within a single nation should focus on cross-cultural perspective. Empirical studies must be described in sufficient detail to be potentially replicable.