Exploring the commonalities between Stanley Hauerwas and James H Cone’s narrative approaches for moral formation for post-Apartheid South Africa

Abstract

This thesis will investigate the narrative approach to moral formation by comparing the narrative paradigm as espoused by James H. Cone and Stanley Hauerwas and will apply the findings to post-Apartheid South Africa. I am interested in the extent to which the principles of modernity forms part of the society and the shaping of morality, yet the thesis does not focus on modernity, but on narrative as ideal ethical framework for moral formation. This thesis will look at community, narrative and agency through Stanley Hauerwas’ notion of virtue and James H. Cone’s views of black theology and oppression as means for narrative informed moral formation. This thesis is divided into three major parts. First; an investigation into narrative which includes the arguments made against modernity, narrative and history as it pertains to moral formation and how narrative is understood. Second; James H. Cone and Stanley Hauerwas’ views on narrative and moral formation followed by closer look at Cone and Hauerwas and the critiques of their views. Third; contextualising the findings in a South African context by using the findings in conjunction with South African scholars. The aims are to investigate if moral reform is possible by means of narrative ethics through justice; by means of reconciliation and transformation.