Appropriation, Appreciation, Accommodation: Indigenous Wisdoms and Knowledges in Higher Education

Abstract

This paper focuses on differences between the underlying principles of Western science and the knowledges and wisdoms of Indigenous peoples in such places as Australia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. It notes changing phases in the approaches to Indigenous Wisdoms and knowledges, and highlights the shifts from appropriation to appreciation and then accommodation. Nevertheless, major tensions remain, both within and between Western science and Indigenous knowledges and appreciations. This creates challenges for institutions of higher education, as well as for other bodies.