Violence and Nonviolence: The Double-edged Sword Effect of Relational Autonomy

African social ordering is centered around the philosophy of Ubuntu. The maxim I am because we are, propagates a communalism organization of societies. Ubuntu postulates a relational form of personhood, which means you are because of others, not only in being but also in moral action. The communal ordering is contrasted with subjective autonomy that governs most of the developed world. As such, in Africa, autonomy is founded primarily on relationships. A central aspect of relational autonomy is protecting people from violence and abusive relationships. However, though venerated in Africa, relational autonomy has the potential to propagate violent behavioral tenets among relations. This is because social structures and relationships abound them and can be oppressive and destructive to autonomy. This proposal calls for interrogating relational autonomy as an enabler of violence, nonviolence, and peace among all earth communities.