Drug Decriminalization in Maryland Through an African Centered Research Paradigm- Analysis and Recommendations

While the scientific method claims to seek universal knowledge through a system of
empirical validation, in reality, the cultural assumptions of those who build scientific institutions
impede the introduction of culturally specific ways of thinking into the paradigm. Morgan State
University professor Jerome Schiele discusses this in his critique of the concept of objectivity,
writing:
“...Although qualitative methods may do a better job at eliciting in-depth aspects of an
individual's or group's interpretation of the world than quantitative methods, qualitative
methods also are restricted in their ability to know and interpret human behavior. This is
partly because most current qualitative methods, similar to quantitative methods, share the
same underlying assumptions regarding knowledge/scientific inquiry that originate from
Eurocentric culture; they are as follows:
1. Human bias and emotion should be controlled, reduced, or eliminated in human inquiry.
2. There should be separate expectations for the observer and the observed, even if their
reciprocity is acknowledged. In other words, the observer and observed are usually viewed
as separate entities, often-times with mutually exclusive roles.
3. When collecting, processing, and coding information, phenomena should be reduced to
their simplest forms (i.e. reductionism).
4. Directly observable (i.e., material) phenomena are deemed the most legitimate forms of
reality. In other words, deemphasis is placed on unseen or spiritual aspects of reality.
5. Rational, linear, and dichotomous thinking are the primary modes through which human
behavior is understood and interpreted…” (Schiele, 2000)
The forms of thought that Schiele identifies links to notions of a rational, thinking subject with
links to European philosophy from René Descartes to classical liberal philosophers like John
Locke. Before we understand the implications these specific characteristics have for research of
drug decriminalization, it is vital that we:
1. Acknowledge that these differences are real and meaningful
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