Yusef Waghid

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Yusef Waghid is a leading African philosopher of education and works in the area of democratic citizenship education and pedagogy. The thrust of his seminal thoughts centres around the cultivation of an Ubuntu (human dignity and interdependence) ethic of care within deliberative encounters of university teaching and learning.

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Papers by Yusef Waghid

Democratic Education and Iterations: On the Emotion of Talking Back

Democratic Education and Muslim Philosophy, 2019

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Citizenship education as forms of human engagement

Citizenship Teaching & Learning, 2021

Teaching and Learning as a Pedagogic Pilgrimage

bution to educational theory and practice. The book covers a broad range of topical and exciting ... more bution to educational theory and practice. The book covers a broad range of topical and exciting issues as diverse as faith, hope, wonder, imagination and posthuman ethics of care in teaching and learning. It does so with poetic elegance as well as argumentative rigour. It combines critical edge with an affirmative stance towards pedagogical possibility, steering clear from drastic choices and dichotomous thinking. The book’s captivating metaphors and its valuable insights will be of lasting significance for a variety of fields that intersect in their commitment to an innovative and transformative pedagogy. Marianna Papastephanou, Department of Education, University of Cyprus

In need of deliberative inter-school relations

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Stereotypes, Marginalisation and Exclusion

Ethical Dimensions of Muslim Education, 2016

We argued previously that a conception of Muslim cannot just be instrumentally tied to an individ... more We argued previously that a conception of Muslim cannot just be instrumentally tied to an individual’s confessional stance, but rather, that as an ethical being, a Muslim is one who surrenders to a higher being by cultivating harmonious and balanced relationships between him/herself and others. Building on this particular understanding of Muslim, we also argued that a conception of ummah, as a collective marker of belonging to humankind, would need to embody and manifest itself through ethical practices and ways of being, since such an ummah would be unencumbered by religious, cultural, economic or political limitations. In the previous chapter, we concluded that those who lay claim to accepting the message of Islam, as articulated through the Qurān and made visible through the life and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, have a responsibility to act and speak out against all forms of dystopias. It seems appropriate, therefore, in the concluding chapter of this book, to give due consideration to the instances and patterns of stereotypes, marginalisation and exclusion that invariably contribute to the world in which we find ourselves.

Qurānic Conceptions of Education

Ethical Dimensions of Muslim Education, 2016

We concluded the previous chapter with the argument that being Muslim cannot just be instrumental... more We concluded the previous chapter with the argument that being Muslim cannot just be instrumentally tied to the identity of a person who professes his/her allegiance to the Qurān and Sunnah, since such a view of Muslim merely confirms an individual’s confessional stance. Instead, we proffered that there is another way through which a person’s identity can become manifest—the way the individual enacts his/her responsibility to Allah (God). In this regard, in terms of Qurānic exegesis, the highest responsibility afforded to humankind is to act as a trustee of Allah on earth (khalīfatullāh fī al-‘ard). But to act as a trustee, or vicegerent of Allah, requires a particular understanding and knowledge of Allah—that is, one cannot enact or manifest the trust of another being without having some understanding of, and belief in, what that trust might entail or desire. This idea means that conceptions of khalīfatullāh fī al-‘ard are embedded in both knowledge and comprehension of Allah. In this chapter, then, we explore what it means, ethically, to have knowledge and be educated—in other words, when is one educated? We also ask what is the hermeneutical connection between knowledge, education and an individual’s relationship with Allah that yields to our argument that knowledge of Allah is an enunciation of education?

African Philosophy of Education Reconsidered

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In defence of institutional autonomy and academic freedom: contesting state regulation of higher education

South African Journal of Higher Education, 2006

In this article, we offer four arguments against excessive state involvement in, and regulation o... more In this article, we offer four arguments against excessive state involvement in, and regulation of, higher education institutions in South Africa. We argue, firstly, that state 'regulation' is inextricably connected with the practice of exercising 'power-over' institutions, a trend which could undermine institutional autonomy and academic freedom. Secondly, we maintain that higher education institutions lack autonomy since they are controlled by the state through subsidies. Such funding provisions for higher education institutions in effect place a significant limit on professional judgement and the pursuit of standards of excellence in academic work. Thirdly, we point out why excessive state regulation could catastrophically harm free scientific inquiry. And finally, we contend that excessive or intrusive state regulation can result in a kind of laissez faire situation characterized by a passive or cynical compliance vis-a-vis performativity. South African Journal of Higher Education Vol. 19(6) 2005: 1177-1185

Qurānic Conceptions of Being Human

Ethical Dimensions of Muslim Education, 2016

In the previous chapter, we argued that an ethical community should be held accountable through d... more In the previous chapter, we argued that an ethical community should be held accountable through disruptive speech acts that can address the community’s ethical concerns. Implicit in such an argument is the profound responsibility afforded human beings in ensuring their conduct not only in relation to themselves, but also in relation to others, as constituted through communities. And yet, there is another responsibility, embodied in the conceptualisation of vicegerency; that is, as a trustee of Allah on earth (khalīfatullāh fī al-‘ard). Embedded in these two responsibilities—one to the social and the other to the Creator—is the duality of humankind. On the one hand, human beings are considered in relation to their corporeal existence. On the other hand, because of the responsibility as khalīfatullāh fī al-‘ard, humankind and their actions cannot be limited to the physical spheres of their world. Hence, the corporeal dimension of what it means to be human must be considered in relation to the incorporeal or metaphysical scope of what it means to act as a trustee of Allah on earth. In this chapter, we look at how the Qurān conceives of being human and what distinguishes humankind from other forms of existence. We explore what is commonly considered the duality of humankind, that is, as being simultaneously physical and spiritual, or secular and transcendent. And, while it is argued that even though humans, in terms of Qurānic exegeses, are both mortal (as a physical body) and immortal (as resurrection), the corporeality and transcendence of humankind can be realised through an ethical enactment of what it means to be human—that is, to be just to oneself and to others because of, and in response to, the enactment of khalīfatullāh fī al-‘ard. Such an argument considers that inasmuch as humankind needs Allah—in terms of surrendering to an innate state of surrendering to his will—humankind needs others to be human, so that the act of vicegerency or khalīfatullāh fī al-ard might be fulfilled.

Jewish and Muslim Voices

Educational Encounters, Mutuality, Trust and Respect

SpringerBriefs in Education, 2020

Beyond Critical Citizenship Education

Engaging Higher Education Curricula - A critical citizenship perspective, 2015

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Towards a Philosophy of Caring in Higher Education

Universities as Public Goods

Higher Education in South Africa - A scholarly look behind the scenes, 2009

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The University and Political Pluralism

Higher Teaching and Learning for Alternative Futures, 2021

On Learning and Cosmopolitanism in Higher Education

South African journal of higher education, 2009

In this article we argue for a conception of learning to be connected to the achievement of cosmo... more In this article we argue for a conception of learning to be connected to the achievement of cosmopolitan norms and virtues which need to influence the way we understand and undertake learning and teaching in higher education in Africa. Our contention is that learning in universities on the African continent can more appropriately respond to some of the societal and political challenges Africa faces if it were to be connected to the appropriation of virtues such as democratic iterations, hospitality and collegiality. Making a case for learning and cosmopolitanism, we are mindful of the idea that African higher education systems are characterized by a history of colonisations and the fight for liberation / independence. Both these influences have resulted in remodelling and reconfiguring higher education rather than transforming it. In contrast, this article indicates a way forward by proposing a cosmopolitan approach as one that is best suited to moving higher education to greater he...

Educational theory as rhythmic action: From Arendt to Agamben

Traditionally, educational theory has been couched as modes of human action through concepts such... more Traditionally, educational theory has been couched as modes of human action through concepts such as poiesis and praxis. Inasmuch as poiesis and praxis have significantly shaped educational theory, we argue that such modes of action – if considered as mutually exclusive – do not sufficiently explain the interrelationship between educational theory and practice. Firstly, we extend the notion of action as explained by Arendt. Next, we offer an account of Agamben’s ‘opening of rhythm’, which integrates the notions of poiesis and praxis to pave the way for an understanding of educational theory as creative will that moves human action from enacting the unexpected into ‘an increasingly free and rarified atmosphere’. Secondly, in re-examining the Aristotelian concepts of poiesis and praxis, we argue that Agamben’s ‘opening of rhythm’ extends the Arendtian notion of action to perform the unexpected, and offers an as yet unexplored lens through which to understand the nexus between educatio...

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Can a system of teacher appraisal in a changing South Africa be sustainable

Un certain nombre de concepts cles ont ete identifies qui pourraient constituer un systeme effica... more Un certain nombre de concepts cles ont ete identifies qui pourraient constituer un systeme efficace d'evaluation des enseignants en Afrique du sud en proie a de grands bouleversements. Ce systeme doit prendre en compte les notions d'intersubjectivite et de collectivite. L'A explique ce que ces deux notions peuvent apporter au systeme d'evaluation. De plus, dans cet article le concept d'intersubjectivite est etroitement lie aux notions de liberte, de pouvoir, d'autorite, et de participation ; tout cela constituant un systeme intersubjectif d'evaluation des enseignants

Caring and Democratic Inclusion

Practices of university teaching and learning have long been associated with interrelated human e... more Practices of university teaching and learning have long been associated with interrelated human experiences. A teacher teaches, and students learn. However, over the last three decades, since the post-critical turn, teaching and learning have been considered as interrelated human actions in the sense that, as a teacher performs the act of teaching, so he or she equally learns. Similarly, as students learn what they are taught, so they too become inclined towards teaching. In other words, it is not simply a matter of a teacher performing an act of teaching, and alternatively, a student learning. Rather, both teaching and learning have become intertwined activities in the sense that teaching–learning exists together. For purposes of this book, I refer to such an interrelationship of teaching–learning, a pedagogical encounter. By implication, pedagogical encounters constitute interrelated and inclusive human experiences of teaching and learning.