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Is deep ecology inapplicable in African context: a conversation with Fainos Mangena


Diana-Abasi Ibanga

Abstract

In 2015, Fainos Mangena published an essay entitled “How Applicable is the Idea of Deep Ecology in the African Context?” where he presented a number of arguments to support his thesis that deep ecology as discussed in the West has no place in the African context. Mangena later presented a counter-version of deep ecology that he claims is based on African philosophy. In this paper, I interrogated Mangena’s arguments for rejecting deep ecology and found that they were based on certain erroneous presuppositions. Further, I developed a critique of Mangena’s Shona version of deep ecology which shows it to be impractical, unappealing, and based on a misunderstanding of the true nature of the modern African environment. I employ the method of conversationalism in this work.

Keywords: Deep Ecology, African Environmental Ethics, Fainos Mangena


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eISSN: 2408-5987
print ISSN: 2276-8386