Using theory from the Global South: From social cohesion and collective efficacy to ubuntu

Criminologists adopting a southern or decolonial perspective bemoan the failure to use theories from the Global South in making sense of crime and responses to it. This article takes the African philosophy and ethics of ubuntu and demonstrates how they might be used to ground a more relevant and eff...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Dixon, Bill (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2024
In: Theoretical criminology
Year: 2024, Volume: 28, Issue: 3, Pages: 267-286
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
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Keywords:
Ubuntu
southern theory
South Africa
Social Cohesion
indigenous knowledge
Description
Summary:Criminologists adopting a southern or decolonial perspective bemoan the failure to use theories from the Global South in making sense of crime and responses to it. This article takes the African philosophy and ethics of ubuntu and demonstrates how they might be used to ground a more relevant and effective approach to preventing urban violence in South Africa than northern ideas about social cohesion and collective efficacy current in dominant policy discourses. It argues that using indigenous bodies of knowledge like ubuntu can contribute not just to making good some of the damage done by colonial epistemicides but may also offer workable solutions to contemporary social problems in and beyond the Global South.
ISSN:1461-7439
DOI:10.1177/13624806231221744