Theory of Knowledge - Course Companion for Students Marija Uzunova Dang Arvin Singh Uzunov Dang
2 introduces writer and civil rightsChapterAudre Lorde’s metaphor that “theactivisttools will never dismantle themaster’shouse” (Le Guin 2004). The tools andmaster’sof knowledge production have been,methodsin some cases are still being, deployedandIndigenous Peoples in damagingtowardsConsider, for example, the colonial andways.history of Indigenous Peoples asimperialsubjects or informants, and the bodyresearchknowledge produced to describe and explainofcultures, behaviour and customs.Indigenousthis history, what would it takeGiventhe tools and processes of knowledgeforand dissemination to do justiceproductionIndigenous Peoples? How do Indigenoustoand researchers engage with thescholarsproduction practices in mainstreamknowledgeChapter 2 we see Le Guin build on Lorde’sInwith the question: what other toolsmetaphorwe have to make the house we want to livedoThis section explores not only the methodsin?tools that have been used to produce andandclaims about Indigenous Peoples,legitimizealso the methods and tools developed bybutPeoples to understand and explainIndigenousdon’t need anyone else developing the toolsWewill help us to come to terms with who wewhichWe can and will do this work. Real power liesare.those who design the tools—it always has. Thiswithin this chapter we discussed howEarlieridea of coming to know things shapestheperspectives. But it is not asIndigenousIndigenous Peoples only produce andifknowledge in a single way, whereasacquireresearchers have a range of toolsacademicmethodologies that produce evidencebasedandclaims. Linda Tuhiwai Smith argues thatperspectives are often excluded fromIndigenousresearch because Indigenous Peoplesacademichistorically been the object of research.havesuggests that by reducing IndigenousSmithto objects of study, non-IndigenousPeopleshave excluded their participation inresearchersan inanimate object can’t contribute toresearch;research.need to be controlled and studied,Objectsallowed to influence the study. AndnotIndigenous knowledge, technologiesthus,ethical codes, developed overandwere“discovered” by Westernmillennia,beginning in the 17th century andscienceas property belonging to the“commodifiedarchive andbody of knowledge of theculturalso to reclaim the processes of knowledgeAndthat happens under the nameproductionIndigenous scholars have engaged“research”,“researching back” in a parallel of the empireinback”, which we discuss in the context“writingpost-colonial literature in Chapter4, II.3.ofresult of Indigenous research methodsTheknowledge from a position of Indigenousisas both subject and researcher, whichresearcherIndigenous experiences and worldcentresand “talks back” to colonial and imperialviews,traditions in an academiclanguage.knowledgeIII. Methods and toolsIII. Methods and toolsI I I . M E T H O D S A N D T O O LSacademicfields?West” (Smith1999).the world.III.1 Indigenous research methods:Research as a relational activitypower is ours.(Irwin 1992)123
Wilson, who is Opaskwayak Cree,Shawnwhat an Indigenous researchoutlineslooks like from the perspective ofparadigmknowledge keepers and seekers.Indigenousproposal centres relationships and theHisthat Indigenous knowledgeperspectivedeeply relational. Honouring theseismeans that researchers mustrelationshipsaccountable for choices in how theybeconduct and communicateconceptualize,research. Follow the link to a video thattheirthis idea of research as a relationalexploresterms: ShawnSearchDecolonizingWilsoncan rationalmethodologies:be a basis forresearchrelationshipsrenewedYouTubeis the role of Oral Tradition in enablingWhatto be handed down throughknowledgeTo what extent is Oral Traditiongenerations?in preserving knowledge in IndigenouseffectiveWall Kimmerer, of Citizen Potowatomi Nation and author of Braiding Sweetgrass, writesRobinthe role of language in Indigenous knowledge with a study of Potawatomi, language. “Theaboutis the heart of our culture”, explains one of Kimmerer’s Elders, “it holds our thoughts,languageway of seeing the world. It’s too beautiful for English to explain” (2014). The following is anourfrom Kimmerer’s chapter “Learning the grammar of animacy”, in which she asserts thatextractattempting to understand the world, something is lost in the language of science, “the sameinfirst taste of the missing language was the word Puhpowee on my tongue. Puhpowee …“Myas ‘the force which causes mushrooms to push up from the earth overnight.’ Astranslatesbiologist, I was stunned that such a word existed. In all its technical vocabulary, Westernahas no such term, no words to hold this mystery. You’d think that biologists, of allsciencewould have words for life. But in scientific language our terminology is used topeople,the boundaries of our knowing. What lies beyond our grasp remains unnamed. …defineis a noun-based language, somehow appropriate to a culture so obsessed with things.English30 percent of English words are verbs, but in Potawatomi that proportion is 70percent.Only5III. Methods and toolsand community activity.III.2 The role of languagesocieties?Figure 5.3 Sculpture of a manaschi, a Kyrgyz storytellerspecialized in narrating the “epic of Manas”Case studyThe “grammar of animacy”something that swells around youand in you when you listen to the world”(2014).124
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2 introduces writer and civil rights
Chapter
Audre Lorde’s metaphor that “the
activist
tools will never dismantle the
master’s
house” (Le Guin 2004). The tools and
master’s
of knowledge production have been,
methods
in some cases are still being, deployed
and
Indigenous Peoples in damaging
towards
Consider, for example, the colonial and
ways.
history of Indigenous Peoples as
imperial
subjects or informants, and the body
research
knowledge produced to describe and explain
of
cultures, behaviour and customs.
Indigenous
this history, what would it take
Given
the tools and processes of knowledge
for
and dissemination to do justice
production
Indigenous Peoples? How do Indigenous
to
and researchers engage with the
scholars
production practices in mainstream
knowledge
Chapter 2 we see Le Guin build on Lorde’s
In
with the question: what other tools
metaphor
we have to make the house we want to live
do
This section explores not only the methods
in?
tools that have been used to produce and
and
claims about Indigenous Peoples,
legitimize
also the methods and tools developed by
but
Peoples to understand and explain
Indigenous
don’t need anyone else developing the tools
We
will help us to come to terms with who we
which
We can and will do this work. Real power lies
are.
those who design the tools—it always has. This
with
in this chapter we discussed how
Earlier
idea of coming to know things shapes
the
perspectives. But it is not as
Indigenous
Indigenous Peoples only produce and
if
knowledge in a single way, whereas
acquire
researchers have a range of tools
academic
methodologies that produce evidencebased
and
claims. Linda Tuhiwai Smith argues that
perspectives are often excluded from
Indigenous
research because Indigenous Peoples
academic
historically been the object of research.
have
suggests that by reducing Indigenous
Smith
to objects of study, non-Indigenous
Peoples
have excluded their participation in
researchers
an inanimate object can’t contribute to
research;
research.
need to be controlled and studied,
Objects
allowed to influence the study. And
not
Indigenous knowledge, technologies
thus,
ethical codes, developed over
and
were“discovered” by Western
millennia,
beginning in the 17th century and
science
as property belonging to the
“commodified
archive andbody of knowledge of the
cultural
so to reclaim the processes of knowledge
And
that happens under the name
production
Indigenous scholars have engaged
“research”,
“researching back” in a parallel of the empire
in
back”, which we discuss in the context
“writing
post-colonial literature in Chapter4, II.3.
of
result of Indigenous research methods
The
knowledge from a position of Indigenous
is
as both subject and researcher, which
researcher
Indigenous experiences and world
centres
and “talks back” to colonial and imperial
views,
traditions in an academiclanguage.
knowledge
III. Methods and tools
III. Methods and tools
I I I . M E T H O D S A N D T O O LS
academicfields?
West” (Smith1999).
the world.
III.1 Indigenous research methods:
Research as a relational activity
power is ours.
(Irwin 1992)
123