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We Cannot Continue Like This
Facing Modernity in Africa and the West
Edited by Attie S. van Niekerk and Sytse Strijbos
Imprint: Wipf and Stock
264 Pages, 7.00 x 10.00 x 0.53 in
- Paperback
- 9781666753035
- Published: July 2022
$35.00 / £31.00
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Attie S. van Niekerk studied Theology at the University of Pretoria. He was a minister of the (black) Dutch Reformed Church in Africa in Venda from 1978 to 1984 and professor for the church’s theological training at the University of the North from 1984 to 1993 and rector of the Theological School Stofberg from 1988 to February 1993. His book on four poets from Soweto and Alexandra in the seventies, Dominee, Are You Listening to the Drums?, was co-winner of the Sunday Times Literary Award for Political Writing in 1984. He has published several books and more than 50 academic articles. In 1994, he became a founding member of the NOVA Institute, a not-for-profit organisation that aims to enable poverty-stricken communities to improve their quality of life. NOVA makes use of scientific methods, including surveys, academic debates and trans-disciplinary research, in which researchers from a diversity of backgrounds, together with a number of low-income families, are engaged in a process to design, and evaluate in practice, household products and processes that are effective, sustainable, affordable for low-income households, desirable, replicable and socially beneficial.
Sytse Strijbos is a founder of the International Institute for Development and Ethics that has been established in 2004 as an independent legal entity with a branch in South Africa and Europe. Currently, he is the chairperson of the International Institute for Development and Ethics (IIDE) in Europe. Previously, he taught at the Philosophy Faculty of Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, and as a special professor at North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus), South Africa.
“The book is a fascinating account of human existence in an era of the Anthropocene. The title, We Cannot Continue like This, is simultaneously a normative statement and an emergency call, but also begs for deep reflection on the path that we as humans have chosen to walk. The title reprimands action and commands attention, so important for development practice. The ten chapters are a comprehensive attempt at making sense of the socio-ecological and socio-technical questions of the day. It also radiates a deep respect for poor households in their attempts at making a living. What also makes it a good read is the fact that scholars from the North and from the South have collaborated. This is an important book to understand the urge of human beings to make sense of the technology-society-cultural/philosophical confluences and consequences of our existence and progress. The main value of this book is that it encourages deep reflection on appropriate technology in the predominantly deprived communities of South Africa, as well as the underlying philosophical assumptions and paradigms that co-determine the relationships of households and communities with technological advancement on a planet that becomes more vulnerable.”
—Lucius Botes, Department of Research Development Support, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, North-West University, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa
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