Chapter 12 “Ubuntu-ism” as the Arbiter between Cultural Relativism and Universalism in the Context of the Right to Development
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Abstract
The means for implementing the Declaration on the Right to Development (drd) are advanced by some scholars, citing the conflicts between universalism and cultural relativism constraints. In this chapter, I propose that there could be an arbiter between these two frames of thought. The proposed arbiter in this instance is an African philosophy called “Ubuntu”. Although Ubuntu is an ethic and philosophy, it has been used in various settings in the post-independent era of the African continent. Ubuntu has been used as a source of law in countries such as South Africa. In this chapter, I argue that Ubuntu should be institutionalized in order for it to become an arbiter between universalism and cultural relativism.