{"id":5524,"date":"2025-06-20T08:59:49","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T08:59:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/"},"modified":"2025-06-21T06:17:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-21T06:17:41","slug":"ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Ubuntu Ethics: A framework for rehumanising social research with young people"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article was originally published as: Ubuntu Ethics: A framework for rehumanising social research with young people<\/strong><\/p>\n

Original Article Link: Read Original Article<\/a><\/p>\n

Download PDF: Click Here to Download PDF<\/a><\/p>\n

Abstract<\/h2>\n

Ubuntu is an African moral and philosophic worldview based on the values of shared and interconnected humanness. This contribution argues that Ubuntu can and should be extended to the realm of social science research by embracing Ubuntu ethics: an alternative ethical framework to the dominant Western-centric conventions. This presents social science researchers with a viable opportunity to open areas of inquiry that are often considered too sensitive, taboo, or risky to study. This is especially true for researchers working in oppressive, exploitative, exclusionary, and dehumanising contexts. This youth-centred qualitative study shows that research which embraces Ubuntu ethics has the potential to rehumanise research participants and researchers alike. By reflecting on research conducted with young people who work and live on the streets of Cape Town, I illustrate the transformative potential of research rooted in Ubuntu Ethics. This contribution offers a novel reformulation of research ethics in practice, specifically useful for the teaching and practice of Social Work Research in Africa.
\nCurrent and previous volumes are available at: https:\/\/ajsw.africasocialwork.net  
\n 
\nHOW TO REFERENCE USING ASWDNET STYLE
\nMakhetha T (2024). Ubuntu Ethics: A framework for rehumanising social research with young people. African Journal of Social Work, 14(6), 382-391. https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.4314\/ajsw.v14i6.9<\/p>\n

Authors<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • Trevor MAKHETHA (PhD, Department of Sociology, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Keywords<\/h2>\n

    Ubuntu ethics, social work research, decolonising research, rehumanising research, homeless youth<\/p>\n

    References<\/h2>\n

    References not available for this article.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This article was originally published as: Ubuntu Ethics: A framework for rehumanising social research with young people Original Article Link:…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[124],"tags":[2162],"class_list":["post-5524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","tag-ubuntu-ethics-social-work-research-decolonising-research-rehumanising-research-homeless-youth","wpcat-124-id"],"yoast_head":"\nUbuntu Ethics: A framework for rehumanising social research with young people - IJSSASS Repository<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ubuntu Ethics: A framework for rehumanising social research with young people - IJSSASS Repository\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This article was originally published as: Ubuntu Ethics: A framework for rehumanising social research with young people Original Article Link:...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"IJSSASS Repository\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ijssass\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-20T08:59:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-21T06:17:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/c-users-user-desktop-logo-pnglogo-2.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"195\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#\/schema\/person\/adf9bae5731958270e2140cfc1af3771\"},\"headline\":\"Ubuntu Ethics: A framework for rehumanising social research with young people\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-20T08:59:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-21T06:17:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/\"},\"wordCount\":282,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Ubuntu ethics, social work research, decolonising research, rehumanising research, homeless youth\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/\",\"name\":\"Ubuntu Ethics: A framework for rehumanising social research with young people - IJSSASS Repository\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-20T08:59:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-21T06:17:41+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Ubuntu Ethics: A framework for rehumanising social research with young people\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/\",\"name\":\"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND SCIENTIFIC STUDIES\",\"description\":\"Open Access Library\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"IJSSASS\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#organization\",\"name\":\"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND SCIENTIFIC STUDIES\",\"alternateName\":\"IJSSASS\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/c-users-user-desktop-logo-pnglogo-3.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/c-users-user-desktop-logo-pnglogo-3.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":195,\"caption\":\"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND SCIENTIFIC STUDIES\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ijssass\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#\/schema\/person\/adf9bae5731958270e2140cfc1af3771\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e2404e10f252fd74bce698fdfc0296b3cfb701b99d14951364bf9586aaa0c4a8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e2404e10f252fd74bce698fdfc0296b3cfb701b99d14951364bf9586aaa0c4a8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ubuntu Ethics: A framework for rehumanising social research with young people - IJSSASS Repository","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ubuntu Ethics: A framework for rehumanising social research with young people - IJSSASS Repository","og_description":"This article was originally published as: Ubuntu Ethics: A framework for rehumanising social research with young people Original Article Link:...","og_url":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/","og_site_name":"IJSSASS Repository","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ijssass","article_published_time":"2025-06-20T08:59:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-06-21T06:17:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":300,"height":195,"url":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/c-users-user-desktop-logo-pnglogo-2.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#\/schema\/person\/adf9bae5731958270e2140cfc1af3771"},"headline":"Ubuntu Ethics: A framework for rehumanising social research with young people","datePublished":"2025-06-20T08:59:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-21T06:17:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/"},"wordCount":282,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#organization"},"keywords":["Ubuntu ethics, social work research, decolonising research, rehumanising research, homeless youth"],"articleSection":["Articles"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/","url":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/","name":"Ubuntu Ethics: A framework for rehumanising social research with young people - IJSSASS Repository","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-06-20T08:59:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-21T06:17:41+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/ubuntu-ethics-a-framework-for-rehumanising-social-research-with-young-people\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Ubuntu Ethics: A framework for rehumanising social research with young people"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/","name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND SCIENTIFIC STUDIES","description":"Open Access Library","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#organization"},"alternateName":"IJSSASS","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#organization","name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND SCIENTIFIC STUDIES","alternateName":"IJSSASS","url":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/c-users-user-desktop-logo-pnglogo-3.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/c-users-user-desktop-logo-pnglogo-3.png","width":300,"height":195,"caption":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND SCIENTIFIC STUDIES"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ijssass"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#\/schema\/person\/adf9bae5731958270e2140cfc1af3771","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e2404e10f252fd74bce698fdfc0296b3cfb701b99d14951364bf9586aaa0c4a8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e2404e10f252fd74bce698fdfc0296b3cfb701b99d14951364bf9586aaa0c4a8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal"],"url":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5524"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5885,"href":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5524\/revisions\/5885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ijssass.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}