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Currere’s Active Force and the Concept of Ubuntu

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Internationalizing Curriculum Studies

Abstract

This chapter proposes an alternative way of understanding curriculum that links an African construct Ubuntu with currere. It posits that Ubuntu-currere shifts our register of reference away from the individual human being to an assemblage of human-human-nature. Moreover, it suggests that the subject is always in-becoming and that the becoming of a pedagogical life is relational. The notion in-becoming ensures that the human cannot be defined nor does it have fixity and therefore Ubuntu-currere is anti-humanist. It avers that Ubuntu-currere opens up multiple coursings for developing post-human sensibilities driven by the positive power of potentia that connects, expresses desire and sustains life. Potentia promises to counteract the manifestations of the crisis of humanism such as racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, environmental destruction, centrally controlled and standardized education systems, and so forth. It is argued in the chapter that these crises are manifestations of a negative power, potestas that produce currere’s reactive force.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Kwerekwere is the common word used by many South Africans to refer to foreign nationals from African countries. Depending on the language spoken, a different prefix is used for the singular and plural forms. In the Nguni languages, the prefix i—is used for the singular being and ama—for the plural, therefore ikwerekwere and amakwerekwere, respectively. Nguni languages are a group of Bantu languages spoken in southern Africa. Nguni languages include: Xhosa, Zulu, Hlubi, Phuthi and Ndebele.

  2. 2.

    Townships are underdeveloped peri-urban living areas that are mainly inhabited by black South Africans. They are the consequence of apartheid settlement policies.

  3. 3.

    Stellenbosch is South Africa’s second oldest town and located approximately 50 km from central Cape Town.

  4. 4.

    The reception year (Grade R) is a formal year of compulsory pre-schooling before children begin Grade 1.

  5. 5.

    I was present in a parent-teacher meeting when this was communicated by the school principal.

  6. 6.

    For detail on Basil Bernstein’s influence on Curriculum Studies in South Africa, see Hugo (2010) and Hoadley (2010).

  7. 7.

    In this chapter, I shall use the term Ubuntu which derives from the aphorism “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu” found in the Nguni languages of Zulu, Xhosa or Ndebele. However, I wish to point out that a similar concept exists in Sotho-Tswana languages derived from the proverbial expression, “Motho ke motho ka batho babang”.

  8. 8.

    The Xhosa people are Bantu language speakers living in the southeast of South Africa. The mains tribes of the Xhosa are: Mpondo; Mpondomise; Bonvana; Xesibe; and Thembu. isiXhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa.

  9. 9.

    Shona is the collective name for several groups of people in the east of Zimbabwe and southern Mozambique. The Shona speaking people are categorised into five main ethnic groups: Zezuru; Manyika; Karanga and Kalanga; Korekore; and Ndau. There are substantial numbers in South Africa and Botswana.

  10. 10.

    I put theory in scare quotation marks because the post-human predicament might also signal a post-theory mood.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

    Lesley Le Grange

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  1. Lesley Le Grange
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Correspondence to Lesley Le Grange .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada

    Cristyne Hébert

  2. Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Nicholas Ng-A-Fook

  3. Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Awad Ibrahim

  4. College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia

    Bryan Smith

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Le Grange, L. (2019). Currere’s Active Force and the Concept of Ubuntu. In: Hébert, C., Ng-A-Fook, N., Ibrahim, A., Smith, B. (eds) Internationalizing Curriculum Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01352-3_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01352-3_13

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