Ubuntu in today’s world: theory in the making

In this chapter, the authors neatly draw together the strings in the definitions and conceptualizations of Ubuntu as reflected in the different chapters of this book. Mbigi’s Collective Five-Finger theorization of Ubuntu and the acronymization of Ubuntu in Chapter 1 of this book are used as the analytical tools for understanding Ubuntu as captured in Chapters 2–11 of this collection. Firstly, the notion of theorizing Ubuntu is argued, as to whether it can be theorized at all, and what its essence is. Mbigi’s Five-Finger Theory of Ubuntu is elucidated, and this is followed by an outline of the methodology for the analysis of the meaning and the conceptualization of Ubuntu from the perspectives of the chapters of this book, taking into consideration the literature and contexts reflected in these chapters.