The utilisation of Ubuntu across cultures: A case study of a rural development programme in China

Abstract

Ubuntu generally means humanity. It is an African philosophy and a principle that is being promoted by the international bodies of social work. Like other Western knowledge, its capacity for indigenisation should be a shared interest nowadays. This article assesses the utilisation of Ubuntu for a rural development programme in China. It illustrates Ubuntu’s unique perspectives about traditional values and human relationships for promoting a holistic understanding of professional practice. The implications encourage further discoveries of various potential uses of Ubuntu in respective localities for developing a polythetic community of international social work.