Patriachy and ubuntu philosphy: the views of community elders in the eastern cape province
List of Authors
  • Luvalo, Loyiso Mennon

Keyword
  • Ubuntu, patrichy, philosophy, gender and society

Abstract
  • South Africa still shows signs of being a very patriarchal society and this somehow leads to instances where the rights of women and children have been trampled on because of a male-favouring environment. This situation prevails despite the South African Constitution and current laws that prohibit discrimination based on gender. This study will explore whether the adoption of the philosophy of Ubuntu could offer a remedy for our society today, to counter the patriarchal views that dominate society and the ignorance these views reveal about both women and children’s rights. This paper draws on the study undertaken by the Eastern Cape chapter of South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF), namely “Archaeology of Ubuntu”, which explored the notion of Ubuntu as a moral concept. In the study, “Archaeology of Ubuntu”, the point of departure was that community elders, as the custodians of African epistemologies, should be consulted while still alive, because, once they are gone, all their wisdom and knowledge about the culture would be lost. In this paper, it is argued that the values propagated by the Ubuntu philosophy, and as it was practised in patriarchal societies the olden days, meant that the rights of women and children were not ignored. In this study, isiXhosa-speaking elders revealed that, based on the philosophy of Ubuntu, patriarchy enabled a caring society, where the vulnerable, that is, women, children and the elderly, were looked after, protected and provided for. Therefore, the conclusion is that the Ubuntu philosophy should be considered to address patriarchy in South African society, to remedy the ever-increasing incidents of abuse of women and children.

Reference
  • 1. Broodryk, J. (2002).Ubuntu: Life lessons from Africa. Pretoria: Ubuntu School of Philosophy Bryson, V. (2003). Feminist political theory. Palgrave Macmillan.
    2. Coetzee, D. 2001.South African Education and the ideology of patriarchy: South African Journal of Education, 4, 301-304.
    3. Coffey, A, & Atkinson, P. (1996).Making sense of qualitative data analysis: Complementary strategies. Sage Publications, Inc. California.
    4. Creswell, J.W., 2009.Mapping the Field of Mixed Methods Research: Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 3, 94-107.
    5. Finnegan, R. (1988). Oral literature in Africa. Open Book Publishers. Cape Town Finnegan, R. (1996). Oral traditions and the verbal arts: a guide to research practices. Routledge. New York
    6. G.Vakalisa, T.V., Mda.N.T.,Assie-Lumumba (eds), African Voices in Education. Cape Town: Juta Gouws, A (ed.) (2004). (Un) Thinking Citizenship: Feminist Debates in Contemporary South Africa. Aldershot, Great Britain/Burlington, Vermont: Ashgate Publishing
    7. Gouws, A. (2005). (Un) thinking Citizenship: Feminist Debates in Contemporary South Africa: Ashgate Publishing Company: London
    8. Higgs, P., N.C., Vakalisa, T.V Mda & N.T. Assie-Lumumba (eds) (2008) African Voices in Education (pp.179-193. Cape Town: Juta.
    9. Letseka, M. (2000). African Philosophy and educational discourse. African voices in education,23,179-193.
    10. Letseka, M. (2013). Educating for Ubuntu: lessons from Basotho indigenous education. Open Journal of Philosophy, 3, 337-344.
    11. Mabhovula, N. (2011). ‘The erosion of African communal values: a reappraisal of the African Ubuntu philosophy’, Inkanyiso: Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences 3, 38-47.
    12. Makwanyane, S.V. (1995) (3) SA 39, (CC). 1995 (6) BCLR 665 CC.
    13. Mama, A. (2005). Gender studies for Africa’s transformation. African Intellectuals. Rethinking Politics, Language, Gender and Development. Dakar, Senegal: CODESRIA Book Series, 94-116.
    14. March, C. (2010) .Ubuntu in action: towards the empowerment of state-appointed social workers in the Limpopo Province .Published Thesis. Unisa. Pretoria.
    15. McClain, L. 1992. Atomistic man revisited Liberalism, connection, and feminist jurisprudence. Southern California Law Review, 65(3), 1171-1264.
    16. McClintock, A. (1991). "No Longer in a Future Heaven": Women and Nationalism in South Africa. Transition, 5, 104-123.
    17. Millet, K. (1985). Sexual Politics, Virago: London
    18. Mkandawire, T. (2005). African Intellectuals: Rethinking Politics, Language, Gender and Development. Dakar: CODESRIA/Zed
    19. Mokgoro, Y. Ubuntu and the law in South Africa’(1998). Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal, 1, 2.
    20. Nel, J. (2007). Towards the ‘Good Society.’: Healthcare provision for victims of hate crime from periphery to centre stage. Unpublished doctoral thesis. Pretoria University of South Africa.
    21. Okin, S. M. (1987). Justice and gender. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 16 , 42-72 Patton, M.Q. (2002). Two decades of developments in qualitative inquiry: A personal, experiential perspective. Qualitative social work, 1, 261-283.
    22. Shvedova, N. (2005). Obstacles to women’s participation in parliament. Women in parliament: Beyond numbers, 33.
    23. Visagie, P. J. (1999). Ideology, theory and its relevance in Higher Education. Ideologies in South African Higher Education. Bloemfontein: Technikon Free State.
    24. Xiao, Y., & Watson, M. (2019). Guidance on conducting a systematic literature review. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 39, 93-112.