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The concept of the integral speaks to the holistic nature of the globe. It is predicated on the claim that everything/everyone is related, and the destruction of one is the destruction of the whole. As such, it places a moral burden on each part to work towards the preservation and dignity of the whole. This ethics of union is aptly captured in Laudato Si' (On Care for Our Common Home), a papal encyclical of Pope Francis. African moral theory perfectly captures this ethic: I am because we are. What this communal ethic does is constantly maintain the view that humans are interconnected to one another. We interrogate how this communalistic approach of the African is implicated and vindicated in integral ecology and the special place Laudato Si' holds in the world. The end is to justify both the African and ecclesiastical approaches as decolonial ecology and then see how the uniqueness of both approaches can birth a universal approach. However, to achieve our aim, we employ the method of conversation that comes from the African place. We choose conversation because we believe that Laudato Si' promotes a 'theology from the borders'. If our statement is true, then we will best be able to project our argument using a method that comes from the borders but is universally possible in its application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented on concepts of whiteness and blackness being usually employed. Topics include presumption of racial differences among human species being socially constructed to meet the aspirations of race realists; and European identities through mastery of foreign languages, religions, cultures.

Methods abound in academic discourse and the extent to which each is used to investigate unique problems and probably proffer solutions--each method gradually achieves the desired aim for which it is used. I employ conversation here, not in the loose sense of the concept, but in its strict meaning of engaging in critical discourse so that through dialogic, new concepts can be distilled from old ones. Thus, I am motivated by the inclusivity of decomposition and blending, which for me is an arm of scientific methods because of rigorous engagement in self-criticism that has not been explored distinctly. Conversation has its own peculiarity and makes intellectual discourse relevant for each age. I have not examined in detail the idea of conversationalism, but have employed it as a tool to deconstruct and reconstruct race. This does not negate the possible emergence of other concepts that are variations of the scientific method. I have further explored briefly the crisis of leadership, associated with racial reasoning, and the possibility of healing that engenders development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]