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. This then is the starting point of this book. Drawing together a selection of authors whose work speaks to the interconnection of the three areas of knowledge, the chapters examine how these knowledges co-exist in a number of specific sites. The collection includes: a decolonizing critique of the fields and practice of development and education; a discussion of indigenous knowledge as a source of learning for the teaching of development studies; an examination of the use of local/traditional/indigenous knowledges in sustainable livelihoods projects; a reflection on building collaboration towards the emergence of an indigenous research methodology; a thinking-through of the linkages between language, development and education in an indigenous Canadian community; a personalized account of the impact of indigenous knowledges on the formation of a young medical student; and, a reflection on dialogue between western health practitioners and traditional bonesetters in northern Ghana. With each of these contributions the book aims not to define the terrain, and thereby limit the rich debate around each of the terms in the book’s title, but rather to allow for an interplay of ideas. Ultimately, the book is an attempt to provide varied examples of how different epistemologies can inform each other and contribute to knowledge production that reflects diverse ways of knowing about Indigenous knowledges, development and education.