African Communal Ethics

Abstract

This chapter examines the idea of communalism in African traditions and how it is exemplified in various ethical norms, values, and ways of life. It argues that African communalism is rooted in the traditions of a group of people with common kinship, aspirations, values, and beliefs, living together proximately, sharing, and organizing aspects of their lives cooperatively in a community. It discusses how communal ethical norms, values, and ways of life inform African conceptions of personhood, environmental ethics, individual rights, and obligations, and their ontological, epistemological, and religious foundations and implications.