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Ubuntu in Namibia and Kenya: How Emerging Adults Live an Essential African Value Today

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Title: Ubuntu in Namibia and Kenya: How Emerging Adults Live an Essential African Value Today
Authors: Rotzinger, Julia S, Jensen, Lene Arnett, Thalmayer, Amber Gayle
Contributors: University of Zurich
Source: J Cross Cult Psychol
Publisher Information: SAGE Publications, 2025.
Publication Year: 2025
Subject Terms: 10093 Institute of Psychology, African psychology, developmental approach, cultural, Namibia, Kenya, Ubuntu, Saharan Africa, sub, emerging adulthood, Original Research Articles, cultural psychology, values, African communalism, 150 Psychology
Description: 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.
Document Type: Article
Other literature type
File Description: rotzinger_et_al_2025_ubuntu_in_namibia_and_kenya_how_emerging_adults_live_an_essential_african_value_today.pdf - application/pdf
Language: English
ISSN: 1552-5422
0022-0221
DOI: 10.1177/00220221241309863
DOI: 10.5167/uzh-269772
Access URL: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40083847
https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/269772/
https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-269772
Rights: CC BY
URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license
URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (http://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
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  Data: Ubuntu in Namibia and Kenya: How Emerging Adults Live an Essential African Value Today
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  Data: 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.
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  Data: CC BY<br />URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license<br />URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (http://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
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