Social work has been involved with the interactions between human beings and their environment since its inception. Environmental social work can expand the profession beyond its boundaries. Similarly, Ubuntu is the philosophy that has the potential to provide global messaging for the interactions between human beings and their environment. Utilizing concept analysis, this article endeavours to expand Ubuntu philosophy to the concept of Environmental Social Work. Notably, Ubuntu is relevant in the components of human relations to nature, food security, climate change, natural disasters, sustainable development and ecospiritual social work. Unequivocally, Ubuntu is a philosophy relevant to Environmental Social Work.
AlstonM (2015) Social work, climate change and global cooperation. International Social Work58(3): 355–363.
2.
BesthornFH (2011) Deep ecology’s contributions to social work: A ten-year retrospective. International Journal of Social Welfare21: 1–12.
3.
BesthornFH (2012) Radical equalitarian ecological justice: A social work call to action. In: GrayMCoatesJHetheringtonT (eds) Environmental Social Work. London: Routledge, pp. 31–35.
4.
BoettoHBellK (2015) Environmental sustainability in social work education: An online initiative to encourage global citizenship. International Social Work58(3): 448–462.
5.
ChemhuruM (2019) The moral status of nature: An African understanding. In: ChemhuruM (ed.) African Environmental Ethics: A Critical Reader. The International Library of Environmental, Agricultural and Food Ethics V29. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
6.
ChibvongodzeDT (2016) Ubuntu is not only about the human! An analysis of the role of African philosophy and ethics in environment management. Journal of Human Ecology53(2): 157–166.
7.
ChigangaidzeRK (2021a) An exposition of humanistic-existential social work in light of Ubuntu philosophy: Towards theorizing Ubuntu in social work practice. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought. Epub ahead of print 25 December 2020. DOI: 10.1080/15426432.2020.1859431.
8.
ChigangaidzeRK (2021b) Utilising Ubuntu in social work practice: Ubuntu in the eyes of multimodal approach. Journal of Social Work Practice. Epub ahead of print 22 September 2021. DOI: 10.1080/02650533.2021.1981.276.
9.
ChurchJ (2012) Sustainable development and the culture of Ubuntu. De Jure45: 511–531.
10.
DensuK (2018) Omenala: Toward an African-centred ecophilosophy and political ecology. Journal of Black Studies49: 29–52. DOI: 10.1177/0021934717729503.
11.
DominelliL (2014) Promoting environmental justice through green social work practice: A key challenge for practitioners and educators. International Social Work57(4): 338–345.
12.
DonkorA (1997) African Spirituality: On Becoming Ancestors. Trenton, NJ: African World Press.
DudzaiC (2021) ‘The value of Ubuntu towards the fight against corruption in Zimbabwe: A social work perspective’. African Journal of Social Work11(1): 48–51.
15.
FawcettJ (2012) Thoughts on concept analysis: Multiple approaches, one result. Nursing Science Quarterly25(3): 285–287.
16.
FogginJM (2021) We still need the wisdom of Ubuntu for successful nature conversation. Ambio50: 723–725.
17.
GrangeLG (2015) Ubuntu/Botho as ecophilosophy and ecosophy. Journal of Human Ecology49(3): 301–308.
18.
GrayMCoatesJ (2013) ‘Changing values and valuing change: Toward an ecospiritual perspective in social work’. International Social Work56(3): 356–368.
19.
GrayMCoatesJHethringtonT (2007) Hearing indigenous voices in mainstream social work. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services88(1): 55–66.
20.
HodgeDR (2015) Administering a two-stage spiritual assessment in healthcare settings: A necessary component of ethical and effective care. Journal of Nursing Management23: 27–38.
21.
Hoy-GerlachJDelgadoMSloaneH (2019) Rediscovering connections between animal welfare and human welfare: Creating social work internships at a human society. Journal of Social Work19(2): 216–232.
22.
IkekeMO (2013) The forest in African traditional thought and practice: An ecophilosophical discourse. Open Journal of Philosophy3: 345–350.
International Labour Office (2019) Decent Work for Food Security and Rural Livelihoods: Decent Work in the Rural Economy Policy Guidance Notes. Geneva: International Labour Office.
25.
JaakkolaE (2020) Designing conceptual articles: Four approaches. AMS Review10: 18–26.
26.
JefferyD (2014) Environmentalism in social work: What shall we teach?Affilia29(4): 492–498.
KelbessaW (2005) The rehabilitation of indigenous environmental ethics in Africa. Diogenes207: 17–34.
29.
KringsAVictorBGMathiasJ, et al. (2020) Environmental social work in the disciplinary literature, 1991–2015. International Social Work63(3): 275–290.
30.
LiuKFlynnCA (2021) How the environment is conceptualised and represented globally in social work codes of ethics. International Social Work. Epub ahead of print 21 June 2021. DOI: 10.1177/002087208728211020071.
31.
LuyalukaKL (2016) An essay on naturalized epistemeology of an African indigenous knowledge. Journal of Black Studies47(6): 497–523.
32.
MabasaMA (2020) Infusing Ubuntu as a principle towards improving social development. In: The 5th Annual International Conference on Public Administration and Development Alternatives, 7–9 October 2020 [Virtual Conference].
33.
MabvuriraV (2020) Making sense of African thought in social work practice in Zimbabwe: Towards professional decolonisation. International Social Work63(4): 419–430.
34.
MaweweM (2011) African Belief and Knowledge Systems – A Critical Perspective. Cameron, Bamenda: Langua Research and Publishing CIG.
35.
MbitiJS (2015) Introduction to African Religion. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.
36.
MontilusG (1989) Dopim: The Spirituality of African Peoples. Nashville, TN: Winston-Derek.
37.
MugumbateJNyanguruA (2013) ‘Exploring African philosophy: The value of Ubuntu in social work’. African Journal of Social Work3(1): 82–100.
38.
MugumbateJChereniA (2019) ‘Using African Ubuntu theory in social work with children in Zimbabwe’. African Journal of Social Work9(1): 27–35.
39.
MugambiwaSS (2017) Knowledge of climate change and the use of indigenous knowledge systems to adapt to climate hazards in Mutoko Rural District of Mashonaland East Province Zimbabwe. Harare: Master’s dissertation, University of Zimbabwe.
40.
MukukaR (2013) Ubuntu in S.M. Kwapwepwe’s Shalapo Canicandala: Insights for Afrocentric psychology. Journal of Black Studies44(2): 137–157.
41.
MurithiT (2006) Practical peacemaking wisdom from Africa: Reflections of Ubuntu. The Journal of Pan African Studies1(4): 25–34.
42.
MuroveFM (2004) An African commitment to ecological conservation: The Shona concepts of Ukama and Ubuntu. Mankind Quarterly15(2): 195–215.
43.
MuyakaBTruellR (2021) Ubuntu and its potential impact on international social work profession. International Social Work64: 649–662.
44.
MyburghSTommaroAM (2013) Exploring Education for Digital Librarians; Meaning, Modes and Models. Oxford: Chandos Publishing.
45.
NussbaumB (2003) Ubuntu: Reflections of a South African on common humanity. Reflections4(4): 21–26.
46.
O’LearyPTsuiM-S (2021) Connecting nature and the people: Environmental social work. International Social Work64(2): 159–160.
47.
PellegriniLGerlaghR (2006) `Corruption, Democracy, and Environmental policy: An empirical contribution to the debate’. The Journal of Environment & Development15(3): 332–354.
48.
RingsonJ (2017) Zunde raMambo as a traditional coping mechanism for the care of orphans and vulnerable children: Evidence from Gutu District, Zimbabwe. African Journal Social7(2): 52–59.
49.
SamkangeSSamkangeTM (1980). Hunhuism or Ubuntuism: A Zimbabwean Indigenous Philosophy. Salisbury: Graham Pub.
50.
SapirsteinG (2006) Social resilience: The forgotten dimension of disaster risk reduction. Jámba: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies1: 54–63.
51.
SchreiberRTomm-BondeL (2015) Ubuntu and constructivist grounded theory: An African methodology package. Journal of Research in Nursing20(8): 655–664.
52.
TangwaG (2004) Some African reflections on biomedical and environmental ethics. In: WireduK (ed.) A Companion to African Philosophy. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, pp. 387–395.
53.
TeixeraSMathiasJKringsA (2019) The future of environmental social work: Looking to community initiatives for models of prevention. Journal of Community Practice27(3–4): 414–424.
54.
TerreblancheC (2018) Ubuntu and the struggle for an African eco-socialist alternative. In: SatgarV (ed.) The Climate Crisis: South African and Global Democratic Eco-Socialist Alternatives. Johannesburg: Wits University Press, pp. 168–189.
55.
Van BredaAD (2019) Developing the notion of Ubuntu as African theory for social work practice. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk55(46): 439–450.
56.
WhippleEE (2021) The human–animal bond and grief and loss: Implications for social work practice. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services102: 518–528.
57.
YatesDA (2012) The Scramble for African Oil: Oppression, Corruption and War for Control of Africa’s Natural Resources. London: Pluto Press.
