Speaker – Precious Simba
Speaker: Precious Simba – Stellenbosch University
Ubuntu is a Nguni (people of southern Africa) notion that was popularised by the work of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the South African democratic transition project in the early 90s. It is a notion that deeply embodies the profoundly person-centred world view of Nguni people emphasising community, interconnectedness, caring, hospitality among other things. For educators and philosophers, ubuntu offers opportunity to re-imagine pedagogical practices through a lens that centres dignity, deliberative engagement and communal thriving (Waghid, 2014). This webinar delves into ubuntu not as a catchphrase but as a robust philosophical framework for educational encounters. It explores the multifaceted interpretations of ubuntu, particularly its potential to foster transgressive pedagogies, inspired by bell hooks’ concept of teaching to transgress. By engaging with ubuntu through the lens of its rich cultural heritage, this presentation highlights how educators can leverage ubuntu to critically examine classroom power dynamics and pedagogical interactions.
Speaker bio:
Precious is a university teacher and researcher at Stellenbosch University. Her background is in after-school programmes, having founded a girls’ education initiative in Bulawayo in 2011. Her doctoral research was a feminist critique of Ubuntu as a philosophy of education centred on education policy in Zimbabwe. Her research interests are ubuntu, education policy, feminist theory, after-school programmes, teacher training, and democratic citizenship education. She has an MA from University of Sussex’s Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and a PhD from Stellenbosch University. Precious is the 2013/14 Mandela scholar at University of Sussex, the 2018-2020 Sol Plaatje Scholar at Stellenbosch University and the 2020 Andrew Mellon-Ubuntu Dialogues Fellow.