Janestic Mwende Twikirize – författare

This book addresses a recurrent gap in social work literature by examining Ubuntu as an Indigenous African philosophy that informs social work beyond the largely residual and individualistic conceptualisation of social work that currently prevails in many contexts. Owing to the lack of social work theories, models and generally, literature that is locally and contextually relevant, most social work lecturers based in African context, struggle to access learning materials and texts that centre local indigenous voices and worldviews. It is within this context that the ubuntu philosophy has gained traction. There is increasing consensus that Ubuntu as an African philosophy and way of life, has the potential to be used as a decolonising framework for social work education and practice. Theorising from Ubuntu can influence and be the foundation for African social work theory and knowledge, social work values and ethics, social work research and policy, and Ubuntu informing different fields of social work practice like social work with older people, children and young people, ubuntu and poverty alleviation, ubuntu and the environment, among others. Drawing together social workers engaged in education, research, policy, practice, to theorise Ubuntu and its tenets, philosophies, and values, this book shows how it can be a foundation for a decolonised, more relevant social work education and practice in African contexts.

This book addresses a recurrent gap in social work literature by examining Ubuntu as an Indigenous African philosophy that informs social work beyond the largely residual and individualistic conceptualisation of social work that currently prevails in many contexts. Owing to the lack of social work theories, models and generally, literature that is locally and contextually relevant, most social work lecturers based in African context, struggle to access learning materials and texts that centre local indigenous voices and worldviews. It is within this context that the ubuntu philosophy has gained traction. There is increasing consensus that Ubuntu as an African philosophy and way of life, has the potential to be used as a decolonising framework for social work education and practice. Theorising from Ubuntu can influence and be the foundation for African social work theory and knowledge, social work values and ethics, social work research and policy, and Ubuntu informing different fields of social work practice like social work with older people, children and young people, ubuntu and poverty alleviation, ubuntu and the environment, among others. Drawing together social workers engaged in education, research, policy, practice, to theorise Ubuntu and its tenets, philosophies, and values, this book shows how it can be a foundation for a decolonised, more relevant social work education and practice in African contexts.

This book introduces an innovative, experiential and participatory approach to social work education and community transformation. Community Social Labs (CSL) is systematically presented as both an epistemological framework and methodology for co-creating locally grounded solutions to problems that confront communities in the global south. With a focus on empirical experiences from Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania, this volume challenges readers to recognize communities as co-creators and owners of knowledge, whilst appreciating the role of universities as useful catalysts for societal change. As pedagogy, CSLs offer experiential and context-responsive learning, and they aim to democratize the curriculum to embed local knowledges. Stories directly from the field are used to demonstrate this, narrated first hand by students who participated in this innovative methodology. Thus, this collection offers a balanced and objective assessment of the potential of the approach, and the challenges that come with it.Contributing new insights to the decolonization and indigenization of social work, this book will be a useful tool for scholars and students who wish to advance and challenge their knowledge and social work practice, as well as professionals and organizations in both government and civil society.