We Are Therefore I Am: A Psycho-Cosmos Counseling Model for Black Africans

This article explores the concepts of corporate personality, rituals and religion as they impact counseling indigenous black African people in their home settings or in Western contexts. It discusses the predominantly “I” focus of Western methods of counseling and psychotherapies and regards it as ineffective when compared to the “we” concept of indigenous African cultures. The authors examine the roles of healers, diviners, and counselors, and the influence of culture, religion, and rituals in the healing (therapeutic) process. A psycho-cosmos model of counseling is proposed that places counseling involvement in a larger context and includes some suggestions for practitioners.     

Going to the bush: language,power and the conserved environment in southern Africa

English, in the words of Bill Bryson, ‘is one of the world's great growth industries’. Like some kind of metalanguage with its own Europe‐based meaning systems, it has constructed its own discourses in relation to Africa's conserved natural environment, nature documentaries, tourism and environmental education – at the expense of indigenous knowledge systems, cultural practices and languages. This paper examines the potency of English when it comes to notions such as that of the animal, the ‘wilderness experience’, hunting practices and ‘the African bush’ and how these meaning systems have percolated through to environmental education in relation to conserved areas in eastern and southern Africa. Drawing on critical language awareness theories and informal interviews and discussions with staff and students (representing a multitude of languages) at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, the predominance and hegemony of English as the exclusive language of learning and teaching in environmental education is questioned.     

汉英礼俗词语的文化探析

语言和文化紧密相联。语言是文化的载体，是反映文化的一面镜子。文化制约着语言的形式，不同民族的文化差异呈现在语言系统的不同层面上，表现出语言的差异。汉英礼俗词语的差异究其根源是中西文化在价值观念、社会结构及文化取向的差异。     

Action learning in East Africa: new encounters or impossible challenges?

Action learning is extending its reach internationally and is increasingly used in distinct cultural settings. This paper explores action learning in an African context and examines how action learning as a cultural product is biased towards Western values and practices. We draw attention to the political, cultural and social encounters of internationalizing action learning which are often glossed over in current debates. The paper illuminates the historical development of pedagogical practices in Africa to elucidate how the social, political, cultural and economic processes have influenced and informed learning in African societies. Second, we review action learning and question its relevance and transferability in non-Western contexts. Finally, we will reflect on the potential of action learning in Africa, and its implications for future research and practice.     

Education and Morality in Africa

This paper examines briefly the major concepts in education and morality in Africa, focusing on the moral education of the African child. This is with particular reference to the child's obligations and duties to self, family, local community and the nation. It is argued that education today has been reduced to no more than schooling, which focuses mainly on literacy and numeracy. The politicization of institutionalized education in post-colonial Africa has led to an explosion in the schooling process, a high turnout of unemployed youths, and a questionable abandonment of the major values of indigenous education. It is recommended that in the new millennium, what is good in African indigenous education should be synthesized with the valuable aspects of Western culture. This would ensure that we move closer to the standard of morality and life in the traditional African education system.     

Counsellor supervision In Zimbabwe: A new direction

This paper examines theneed for a new paradigm of counsellor supervision in Zimbabwe andprovides components for a new paradigm. The article identifiesissues that need to be considered in order to develop counsellorsupervision practice in an appropriate cultural and social contextfor the country. The issues that are examined are: counsellortraining in Zimbabwe; sociohistoric and present racial themes inZimbabwe; the impact of Eurocentric counselling theory, research andpractice in Zimbabwe; and the basic tenets of indigenous culture inZimbabwe that impact on the counsellor supervision process.     

Indigenous counselling techniques among the Yoruba and Igala people of Nigeria

Guidance and counselling are now making a good beginning in Africa. This paper attempts to trace the historical foundations of Yoruba and Igala counselling in Africa and examines what makes for success in traditional therapy—the words, phrases and aphorisms used, the climate set and the personality of the professional. Furthermore, since recent studies show that the training and methods of indigenous practitioners are sound and that their philosophy and practice have much in common with Western approaches, the paper also attempts to introduce their skills for fusion with Western mental health.Paper presented at the International Round Table for the Advancement of Counselling, Thessaloniki (Greece), April 1980.     

英汉词语的文化内涵差异

本文从传统文化观念、社会文化背景及社会价值取向等方面阐释了造成英汉词语文化内涵差异的原因,并提出翻译的对策:直译、直译加注释,借用的语中带有文化色彩的词语取代原语中带有文化色彩的词、意译     

Geometry, subjectivity and the seduction of language: the regulation of spatial perception

Following Husserl's speculations on how geometry originated, we suggest that spatial perception is seduced by language as a result of human attempts to capture, signify and share its concepts. And this language traps geometry and humans themselves in to the forms that have guided and regulated past practices, thereby obscuring possibilities for cultural growth and adjustments to new conditions. Some body movement exercises reveal student teachers' spatial orientations. The paper proposes that the very evolution of geometry, and the ontological status of its objects, relate to their representation in cultural forms referenced to human self-image. It is further argued that learning crucially relates to evolving mathematical or pedagogical understandings of spatial phenomena.     

The reproduction of privilege: young women,the family and private education

The paper examines processes of cultural production and reproduction among members of the elite and upper-middle classes. Drawing on findings from a study of private education in England, it explores the utility of a conceptual framework to examine how practices in and across different sites may be reproductive of various forms of ‘privilege’. Three domains in particular – family, the school and individual young women’s projects of the self – together shape key meanings and orientations informing young women’s lives. These meanings and orientations in turn connect to ‘privileging practices’, both within each domain and beyond. The paper analyses data from three young women in one of the schools studied to illustrate how the framework may be used to examine privately educated young women’s different orientations to the present and the future. Findings point to some of the processes through which class and gender privilege may be variably reproduced.     

谈中西文化差异与翻译策略

语言是文化的载体,承载着丰富的文化信息。因此,翻译不仅是语言代码之间的转换,还是一种跨文化的交际活动。译者在进行翻译时要根据中西文化之间的差异选择有效的翻译策略,以实现译文与原文的语用等效。     

Challenges in Meeting HIV/AIDS Counselling Needs in Nigeria

The HIV/AIDS pandemic is recognized globally as the greatest health challenge of the present generation. It is widely acknowledged to be the foremost killer disease in Africa. Since the first Aids case was publicly announced in 1986, the astronomical increase in victims has been a matter of concern. The rates of HIV/AIDS infection indicate that Nigeria currently has the third largest rate of HIV/AIDS patients. The UNAIDS (2008) reported that as at 2007, the population of children and adults with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria was 2.6 million. Due to the fact that there is no cure for the virus, HIV/AIDS, counselling is an important aspect of its management. Counsellors in Nigeria have provided pre- and post-test counselling, preventive education seminars, and referrals to other health professionals. However, counsellors’ efforts have only yielded limited success because of a number of major challenges. This paper examines some of the challenges involved in meeting the HIV/AIDS counselling needs of Nigerians. Specifically, it addresses challenges faced by government, potential clients, and the Counselling Association of Nigeria, as well as challenges associated with existing cultural practices (indigenous counselling practices). It concludes with specific recommendations for various stakeholders.     

Counselling, Culture and Conformity: Some Implications for the Education of Counsellors and Others Involved in Pastoral Care

This paper seeks to explore some of the implications that recent critiques of therapeutic language have for counselling and Pastoral Care. Are we in the midst of a creation of a more caring and emotionally intelligent society or in danger of losing individual autonomy and political power by the inadvertent construction of a 'fragile self'? Does this apparent valorization of the emotional become an emotionalism that destroys autonomy and undermines our power to think and act rationally? What are the implications of the increased acceptance of the need for emotional expression: does this in turn become new conformity where the private space of the individual is policed by counsellors in the name of the state? This paper supports the observations that the new cultural trend towards giving primacy to emotional expression can have deleterious political and social effects but seeks to distinguish counselling and psychotherapy from the 'therapism' of popular culture.     

The British and curriculum development in West Africa: A historical discourse

THE BRITISH AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN WEST AFRICA: A HISTORICAL STUDY – Only recently have African nations begun to make their way towards establishing genuinely autonomous education systems incorporating elements of indigenous culture. The present study examines the historical development of curriculum in British West Africa in its links with the educational activities of the early Christian missionaries and the imposition of British colonial rule. For over 300 years, the curriculum content was essentially European in nature. African interests and cultural practices were largely excluded, as “bookwork” was favored over “handwork”. The colonial curriculum also helped introduce a new social order to West Africa, leading to the rise of new local elites reading, writing, and speaking foreign European languages. This study explores how the idea of a “civilized” person, promoted through the colonial school curriculum, developed new local elites with different sets of values and expectations that often made them strangers in their own societies. It also describes the connection between this curriculum and the repeated failure of education-reform efforts.     

中西科学文化源流大略——兼论中西语言互释中的格义与反格义

任何名词概念只能在文化整体中被理解。近代以来,中西语言互释中的格义与反格义,导致了关于中国文化的一系列"有"、"无"之争。在对中西文化中几个基本名词概念的互释——形而上学与metaphysica,本体,本体论与noumena,ontology,自然科学与natural science进行初步反思与澄清的基础上,给出中西科学文化源流:从文字语言与思维方式,超越类型与文化取向,学问或哲学体系、科学性质与研究方法的大略对照与简要说明。以图抛砖引玉,有待来者。     

Language, literacy and bilingual education: An amazon people's strategies for cultural maintenance

This paper is concerned with the rights of indigenous peoples to maintain their own languages which are seen as fundamental to the maintenance of their own cultures and for the transmission of culture from one generation to another. Taking the examples of two small neighbouring groups belonging to the Harakmbut Amazon people, it shows that even though their objectives are the same — the maintenance and strengthening of their language and culture — they have very different views about how this should be done. The paper argues that it is necessary to understand the communities' reactions to new proposals for language maintenance introduced from outside and of the importance of them developing and following their own strategies for maintaining their cultural identity in a rapidly changing world.     

Challenges and transformations: Counselling in a multicultural context

During the last two decades counselling in a multicultural context has been on the increase with more and more training programmes now including issues of race, culture and ethnicity. This has led to numerous approaches, for example transcultural, inter-cultural, cross-cultural, multicultural, Afro-centric, anti-racist and black feminist, which define counselling with minority groups. Although many of these approaches have a sound theoretical base, they nevertheless remain marginal in terms of convincing the minority communities of their value and effectiveness. This is clearly seen in the pre-mature termination and lack of participation by minorities in counselling and therapy. The chief criticism against counselling throughout this period is that, it has remained essentially, Eurocentric, ethnocentric and individualistic. Culture-sensitive counsellors and counselling within a "culture fit" model have been suggested as a way of making the process more appropriate to a diversity of cultures. Furthermore, this has led to some practitioners strongly advocating the inclusion of socio-economic and political constructs as part of a broader definition of multicultural counselling. For example, the issues of power and influence, cultural hegemony, racism and masculinities are becoming key schemas in cross cultural counselling practices. The challenge for multicultural counselling, in the next decade, would be to include traditional healing practices as part of its discourse, if it is to encourage the active participation of ethnicminorities. This paper is an attempt to explore some of these challenges and highlight some of the transformations that are taking place within multicultural counselling. Finally, through a discussion of a case vignette, the paper illustrates the need to accommodate traditional healing methods in counselling the culturally diverse client.     

Counselling,Culture and Conformity: Some Implications for the Education of Counsellors and Others Involved in Pastoral Care

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore some of the implications that recent critiques of therapeutic language have for counselling and Pastoral Care. Are we in the midst of a creation of a more caring and emotionally intelligent society or in danger of losing individual autonomy and political power by the inadvertent construction of a ‘fragile self’? Does this apparent valorization of the emotional become an emotionalism that destroys autonomy and undermines our power to think and act rationally? What are the implications of the increased acceptance of the need for emotional expression: does this in turn become new conformity where the private space of the individual is policed by counsellors in the name of the state? This paper supports the observations that the new cultural trend towards giving primacy to emotional expression can have deleterious political and social effects but seeks to distinguish counselling and psychotherapy from the ‘therapism’ of popular culture.     

Critical perspectives on changes in educational leadership practice

This paper examines a group of Chinese educational leaders’ leadership practice changes after undertaking a leadership development course offered by an Australian university in China. It presents their self-reported changes in leadership practice profiles and features selected vignettes. The study was primarily qualitative and interpretative, based on the interview responses of 20 participants. The findings showed that exposure to different perspectives appeared to expand participants’ views and equip them with a wider range of leadership strategies. Despite some observable differences in practices reported by participants from the three sectors (school, educational system, and university), there seemed to be more similarities than variance. The respondents were cautious about radical changes in leadership practice, reiterating that local contexts and cultures must be considered when accommodating Western educational ideas. The study suggests that participants’ self-reported changes in leadership practices resulted from mediation of contextual and cultural conditions rather than the direct transfer of Western ideas and practices into the Chinese context.