The research question of this book reads: Can South Africans, amidst all the contemporary distrust in political leadership and moral decay, find a moral compass that could lead them to a humane society of mutual trust, respect for each other, a flourishing life and a bright future for future generations? This book presents new perspectives on the psychopathology created by colonisation, the failures of the post-1994 dispensation regarding reconciliation, transformation, justice, distorted family life, violence, unity in diversity, as well as moral leadership and agency and indifference to a future of hope. It proposes a new moral compass that can lead South Africa out of the abyss.

Across diverse countries and contexts in Africa, religion has direct implications for human security. While some individuals and groups seek to manipulate and control through the deployment of religion, religious belief is also a common facet of those working towards peace and reconciliation. Despite the strategic importance of religion to human security in Africa, there are few contemporary publications that explore this issue on an international scale. This volume redresses that imbalance by examining religion’s impact on human security across Africa. Written by an international team of contributors, this book looks in detail at the intersection of religion and security in a variety of African contexts. Case studies from a diverse set of countries including Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Burkina Faso, and more, are used to illustrate wider trends across the continent. Acknowledging that religion can be used to incite violence as well as encourage peace, the chapters employ an interdisciplinary exploration of the ethics, sociology, and politics around these issues. This is much needed volume on religion’s capacity to effect human security. It will, therefore, be of significant interest to any scholar of religious studies, African studies, political science, the sociology of religion, and anthropology, as well as peace, conflict, and reconciliation studies.

This book focuses on the relations between social justice and higher education research. Jan McArthur and Paul Ashwin bring together chapters from international researchers that explore these relations in a range of national contexts and consider their implications for policies, pedagogy and our understanding of the roles of graduates in societies. As a whole, the book argues that social justice needs to be more than a topic of higher education research and must also be part of the way that research is undertaken. Social justice must be located in research practices as well as in the issues that are researched.

For those of us in recovery, finding our moral and spiritual footing can be a struggle. The pursuit of drugs and alcohol has long driven our choices and actions, leaving the line between right and wrong blurred in the wake of addiction. In Finding Your Moral Compass, Craig Nakken, author of the best-selling book The Addictive Personality, gives readers in recovery the model and tools needed to make life decisions in the pursuit of good. He offers 41 universally accepted principles, paired as positive and negative counterparts that guide behavior. He then inspires us with one fundamental challenge: To take responsibility for being a force for good by applying these principles to our daily lives. He encourages us to show empathy, be of service to others, and make the choice to stop being an agent of harm.When Nakken, a former addict, became clean and sober, he faced the "evil" inside of himself. It was then that he found his moral compass and made the decision to take responsibility for his actions using the Twelve Steps as his guide. He has taught hundreds in recovery to live by the principles of good, one day at a time.About the author Craig Nakken is the author of several Hazelden titles, including the perennial bestseller The Addictive Personality. He is a popular public speaker and a highly respected private practice counselor, with years of working in the frontlines in a number of treatment facilities.

Has the new South Africa – once an inspiring "rainbow nation" – failed the expectations it had generated? Is the country now in a crisis? Two decades after the end of the apartheid regime, Africa's southernmost state faces multiple political, economic and social challenges. A lackluster growth performance is compounded by mounting corruption and political turbulence, as well as by the frustration of many ordinary citizens who expected much more rapid social and economic improvement. Labour strikes, student protests and anti-immigrant riots have all been on the rise. As a clear sign of increasing dissatisfaction, uncertainty and decline, the ruling African National Congress recently ran into its worst electoral result ever – if still only at local levels. Meanwhile, Jacob Zuma's embattled presidency, marred by allegations of corruption and political cronyism, sent South Africa's international image plummeting alongside the Rand, the national currency. This volume sheds light on the current difficulties and discusses future prospects. The "new" South Africa is a country in dire need for change.

A glimpse into the lives of LGBTQ migrants in Johannesburg, in their own words Seeking Sanctuary brings together poignant life stories from fourteen lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) migrants, refugees and asylum seekers living in Johannesburg, South Africa. The stories, diverse in scope, chronicle each narrator’s arduous journey to South Africa, and their corresponding movement towards self-love and self-acceptance. The narrators reveal their personal battles to reconcile their faith with their sexuality and gender identity, often in the face of violent persecution, and how they have carved out spaces of hope and belonging in their new home country. In these intimate testimonies, the narrators’ resilience in the midst of uncertain futures reveal the myriad ways in which LGBT Africans push back against unjust and unequal systems. Seeking Sanctuary makes a critical intervention by showing the complex interplay between homophobia and xenophobia in South Africa, and of the state of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) rights in Africa. By shedding light on the fraught connections between sexuality, faith and migration, this ground-breaking project also provides a model for religious communities who are working towards justice, diversity and inclusion.