Golam Mathbor, Ph.D., professor in the School of Social Work, co-authored “Ubuntu Philosophy for the New Normalcy,” a book recently published by Palgrave Macmillan.
The six-chapter book is a comprehensive introduction of the philosophy of Ubuntu, which loosely translates to “I am because we are,” or “our common humanity,” in Zulu, a Southern Bantu language of the Nguni branch spoken in Southern Africa.
“Ubuntu Philosophy for the New Normalcy” was created to prove how alike and universal we are as societies across the globe, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Each chapter serves as a call to action to find commonality, and discusses hope, hospitality, and a way of life that allows readers to consider the essence of a post-pandemic world.
Mathbor collaborated on the book with University of Malaya colleagues, Jahid Siraz Chowdhury, Haris Abd Wahab, Mohd Rashid Mohd Saad, and Mashitah Hamidi, and is currently a visiting professor in the University of Malaya’s Department of Social Administration and Justice.
The authors come from the fields of social work, anthropology, and education, and have been working with local communities in the ongoing struggle to identify and address complicit oppression and inequalities.