Indigenous Knowledges Development And Education

Indigenous knowledges are the subject of much discussion and debate in many contemporary academic fields. This is no less true in the fields of education and development studies—two fields with long histories of interaction with indigenous knowledges and peoples. Yet, despite this similar level of interest and interaction, there has yet to emerge a book that draws together the two fields as they interact with and learn from indigenous epistemologies.

The book's focus is the hegemonic role of so-called modernist, Western epistemology that spread in the wake of colonialism and the capitalist economic system, and its exclusion and othering of other epistemologies. Through a series of case studies the book discusses how the domination of Western epistemology has had a major impact on the epistemological foundation of the education systems across the globe. The book queries the sustainability of hegemonic epistemology both in the classrooms in the global South as well as in the face of the imminent ecological challenges of our common earth, and discusses whether indigenous knowledge systems would better serve the pupils in the global South and help promote sustainable development.

This open access book presents a strong philosophical, theoretical and practical argument for the mainstreaming of indigenous knowledge in curricula development, and in teaching and learning across the African continent. Since the dawn of political independence in Africa, there has been an ongoing search for the kind of education that will create a class of principled and innovative citizens who are sensitive to and committed to the needs of the continent. When indigenous or environment-generated knowledge forms the basis of learning in classrooms, learners are able to immediately connect their education with their lived reality. The result is much introspection, creativity and innovation across fields, sectors and disciplines, leading to societal transformation. Drawing on several theoretical assertions, examples from a wide range of disciplines, and experiences gathered from different continents at different points in history, the book establishes that for education to trigger the necessary transformation in Africa, it should be constructed on a strong foundation of learners’ indigenous knowledge. The book presents a distinct and uncharted pathway for Africa to advance sustainably through home-grown and grassroots based ideas, leading to advances in science and technology, growth of indigenous African business and the transformation of Africans into conscious and active participants in the continent’s progress. Indigenous Knowledge and Education in Africa is of interest to educators, entrepreneurs, policymakers, researchers and individuals engaged in finding sustainable and strategic solutions to regional and global advancement.

This book discusses the vital importance of including indigenous knowledges in the sustainable development agenda. In the wake of colonialism and imperialism, dialogue between indigenous knowledges and Western epistemology has broken down time and again. However, in recent decades the broader indigenous struggle for rights and recognition has led to a better understanding of indigenous knowledges, and in 2015 the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined the importance of indigenous engagement in contributing to the implementation of the agenda. Drawing on experiences and field work from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe, Indigenous Knowledges and the Sustainable Development Agenda brings together authors who explore social, educational, institutional and ecological sustainability in relation to indigenous knowledges. In doing so, this book provides a comprehensive understanding of the concept of "sustainability", at both national and international levels, from a range of diverse perspectives. As the decolonizing debate gathers pace within mainstream academic discourse, this book offers an important contribution to scholars across development studies, environmental studies, education, and political ecology.

This collection makes a unique contribution towards the amplification of indigenous knowledge and learning by adopting an inter/trans-disciplinary approach to the subject that considers a variety of spaces of engagement around knowledge in Asia and Africa.

This handbook explores the evolution of African education in historical perspectives as well as the development within its three systems–Indigenous, Islamic, and Western education models—and how African societies have maintained and changed their approaches to education within and across these systems. African education continues to find itself at once preserving its knowledge, while integrating Islamic and Western aspects in order to compete within this global reality. Contributors take up issues and themes of the positioning, resistance, accommodation, and transformations of indigenous education in relationship to the introduction of Islamic and later Western education. Issues and themes raised acknowledge the contemporary development and positioning of indigenous education within African societies and provide understanding of how indigenous education works within individual societies and national frameworks as an essential part of African contemporary society.

This book re-conceptualizes the field of international and comparative education by utilizing indigenous knowledge as a central component for altering the dominant, eurocentric social science research paradigm. Examples from indigenous sources of knowledge are juxtaposed to the dominant discourses on education and modern development in subaltern societies in order to provide scholars with alternative ways of viewing education and development and to shape how subaltern peoples are understood and represented in academic research. Bibliography. Index.

Indigenizing Education: Transformative Research, Theories, and Praxis brings various scholars, educators, and community voices together in ways that reimagines and recenters learning processes that embody Indigenous education rooted in critical Indigenous theories and pedagogies. The contributing scholar-educators speak to the resilience and strength embedded in Indigenous knowledges and highlight the intersection between research, theories, and praxis in Indigenous education. Each of the contributors share ways they engaged in transformative praxis by activating a critical Indigenous consciousness with diverse Indigenous youth, educators, families, and community members. The authors provide pathways to reconceptualize and sustain goals to activate agency, social change, and advocacy with and for Indigenous peoples as they enact sovereignty, selfeducation, and Native nation-building. The chapters are organized across four sections, entitled Indigenizing Curriculum and Pedagogy, Revitalizing and Sustaining Indigenous Languages, Engaging Families and Communities in Indigenous Education, and Indigenizing Teaching and Teacher Education. Across the chapters, you will observe dialogues between the scholar-educators as they enacted various theories, shared stories, indigenized various curriculum and teaching practices, and reflected on the process of engaging in critical dialogues that generates a (re)new(ed) spirit of hope and commitment to intellectual and spiritual sovereignty. The book makes significant contributions to the fields of critical Indigenous studies, critical and culturally sustaining pedagogy, and decolonization.

Built on the foundation of their landmark Handbook of Qualitative Research, it extends beyond the investigation of qualitative inquiry itself to explore the indigenous and non-indigenous voices that inform research, policy, politics, and social justice.

Through a series of case studies, this book explores the question of whether Western educational discourse - still the dominant discourse in many countries in the global South - benefits the majority of pupils and helps promote sustainable development in these countries, or whether pedagogies rooted in more indigenous ideologies and discourses would better serve this aim.