Includes bibliographical references and index.

Ubuntu in the Christian theology and praxis of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and its implications for global justice and human rights / Aloo Osotsi Mojola -- Crafting ideal conditions: ubuntu and the challenges of modern society / D. A. Masolo -- The art of personhood: kinship and its social challenges / Bhekizizwe Peterson -- The philosophy of ubuntu and the notion of vital force / Niels Weidtmann -- Rethinking ubuntu / Dirk J. Louw -- Ubuntu and Oruka's humanitarian view of punishment / Oriare Nyarwath -- Ubuntu and Buen Vivir: a comparative approach / Anke Graness -- Ubuntu and Christianity / Augustine Shutte -- Ubuntu, reconciliation in Rwanda, and returning to personhood through collective narrative / Anna-Marie de Beer -- Utu/ubuntu and community restoration: narratives of survivors in Kenya's 2007 postelection violence / James Ogude and Unifier Dyer.

"Ubuntu is premised on the ethical belief that an individual's humanity is fostered in a network of human relationships. The essays in this lively volume elevate the debate about ubuntu beyond the buzzword it has become, offering a rich understanding of ubuntu in all of its complexity and reflecting on a value system rooted in the everyday practices of ordinary people in their daily encounters with churches, schools, and other social institutions"--