Exploring Indigenous Approaches to Peacebuilding: The Idea of Ubuntu

In this episode of the Conflict Tipping podcast, host Laura May interviews Bryony Vince, a PhD candidate at the University of Sheffield in the UK and an advocate for context-specific indigenous approaches to peace-building. Bryony talks about her PhD focus on Ubuntu, a South African worldview that underscores interconnectedness and mutual dependence, as a tool for peace-building in South Africa. She discusses the challenges and nuances in implementing Ubuntu on the ground and its misinterpretations or misuse by governments and NGOs. In addition, Bryony shares her personal experiences in conducting field work, and her hopes for future research focusing on participatory methods, dialogue, and public space in peace-building.

0:00 Introduction 00:56 Why Ubuntu? Why this subject? 04:00 Why is this topic important to you? 05:06 What is Ubuntu? 09:05 The link between Ubuntu and peace-building 12:10 Bry speaks IsiXhosa 13:35 Back to peace-building and Ubuntu 16:42 Do you practice Ubuntu? 19:00 What's participatory research? 20:58 Ubuntu as a peace 'tool'? 26:31 Ubuntu post-Apartheid and structural conflict 29:40 The favourite thing you learnt? 31:39 Who's doing the unpaid care work? Who is peace building? 36:26 What surprised you? 39:57 What's next? 41:47 How can people find you?

Links:

• Twitter: @bryvince

• Academic blog

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryonyvince/

• University profile