How the West Was One
The Western as individualist, the African as communitarian
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8857906 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Thaddeus Metz (0000-0001-9861-2408, University of Johannesburg, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 11 |
| Pages | 1175-1184 |
| Publication date | 2014-12-22 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Educational Philosophy and Theory (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0013-1857 • E-ISSN: 1469-5812 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00131857.2014.991502 |
| OpenAlex | W2104288585 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 25 |
| References cited | 10 |
There is a kernel of truth in the claim that Western philosophy and practice of education is individualistic; theory in Euro-America tends to prize properties that are internal to a human being, such as her autonomy, rationality, knowledge, pleasure, desires, self-esteem and self-realisation, and education there tends to adopt techniques focused on the individual placed at some distance from others. What is striking about other philosophical–educational traditions in the East and the South is that they are typically much more communitarian. I argue that since geographical terms such as ‘Western’, ‘African’ and the like are best construed as picking out properties that are salient in a region, it is fair to conclude that the Western is individualist and that the African is communitarian. What this means is that if I am correct about a noticeable contrast between philosophies of education typical in the West and in sub-Saharan Africa, and if there are, upon reflection, attractive facets of communitarianism, then those in the West and in societies influenced by it should in some real sense become less Western, in order to take them on
Environmental ethics · Higher education · Individualism · Philosophy of education · Political science · Social science · Sociology · African cultural and philosophical studies · African history and culture analysis · African history and culture studies · Gender Studies · Law · Philosophy
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Decoloniality and the (im)possibility of an African feminist philosophy
Problematising Western philosophy as one part of Africanising the curriculum
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| Citations per year | 2.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2016 - 2026 (11) |
| Highly cited | No |