Through the vehicle of Nicolas Sarkozy’s so-called “Dakar Address” we will analyse the West’s persisting lack of insight into the need for a Western decolonization. We will try to identify the dangers that come from this refusal, such as the abidance in colonial patterns, the enduring self-understanding as superior com-pared to Africa, and the persisting unwillingness to accept the colonial guilt. Decolonization has to be understood as a two-fold business. Decolonization is over-coming endured and perpetrated violence. It is not only (...) important that the colonial oppressed regain strength, it is equally important that the perpetrator of colonial violence understand their excess of violence and work on effecting its return impossible. We explain how Western thinking remains dangerous and untrustwor-thy if it refuses its own decolonization. Finally, we will draw attention to a fundamental pattern of Western thought that clashes with the fundamental values of the West: contempt. In a final step we suggest how this contempt can be overcome through desuperiorisation and the establishment of elative ethics. (shrink)

Background: The research on nursing professionals in Clinical Ethics Committees and Nursing Ethics Commissions occurs in different parts of the world; however, little information on this subject is found in the literature. Objective: This study analyzed national and international publications in relation to the participation of nursing professionals in Clinical Ethics Committees. Research design: This was an integrative review of articles published in national and international journals between 1994 and 2016 which described the participation of nursing professionals in ethics commissions. (...) Participants and research context: A total of 35 articles were selected. Discussion and conclusion for this article: The thematic categories were the need for time to discuss ethical issues; ethics committee to reduce the moral suffering of professionals; competencies required for participation; and barriers/difficulties and facilitators for implementation/ performance. It was concluded that professionals recognize the need for ethics committees to foster discussions. However, barriers hamper operation and fundamental competencies for participation. Communication of committee activities to professionals and educational activities may be major allies to improve the functioning of these committees. (shrink)

ZusammenfassungEthische Fragen der Pflegepraxis haben sich in den letzten Jahren zugespitzt. Sie sind häufig verbunden mit einer grundsätzlichen Sorge um eine kompetente und verantwortliche Pflege, die den Bedürfnissen von Patient*innen gerecht wird. Forschungen aus drei Jahrzehnten zeigen, dass strukturelle Beschränkungen, Konflikte mit Kolleg*innen, Patient*innen und Angehörigen sowie eine Managementorientierung und die Unsichtbarkeit der Pflegearbeit, Ursachen für die grundsätzlichen Sorgen sind. Sie führen zu moralischem Stress, fehlenden Beziehungen und einer Fragmentierung der Pflege. Teilweise reagieren Pflegende widerständig, indem sie beispielsweise die Regeln (...) beugen und eine passive „wait and see“ Position einnehmen. Einige Pflegende erheben ihre Stimme und suchen ein Klinisches Ethikkomitee auf. Klinische Ethikkomitees bieten eine Möglichkeit, die komplexen ethischen Fragen der Pflegepraxis zu thematisieren. Allerdings verweisen die Studien aus drei Dekaden auf einen Mangel der Thematisierung. Die Analyse der Ursachen lässt die Schlussfolgerung zu, demokratischen Lernprozessen Raum zu geben. (shrink)