DEDUCING EPISTEMOLOGIES FROM PRE-COLONIAL AFRICAN COHESIVENESS FOR CONTEMPORARY ACADEMIC, CITIZENSHIP RECOGNITION, AND SUSTAINABLE ALLOCATION

Abstract

The current paradigm shift in the world toward promoting reduction for civic purposes and sustainable development gravitates between philosophies of cultural revivalism and cultural relativism. The ancient axiological debate between universal eternal forms/ideas and dynamic modernity world view theories is immortal and inevitable given contemporary African knowledge-power-politics nexus favouring revitalisation of African indigenous knowledge systems for citizenship recognition, sustainable allocation and empowerment. Historically, citizenship, community empowerment, good governance, democracy, scientific inquiry, organised management and other developmental principles were regarded by some scholars of Western origins. History is constantly changing, new facts are found about old events, and old facts are reinterpreted. Revisiting ancient and contemporary texts using critical analysis in tandem with qualitative philosophical inquiry paradigms, this study questioned ethnocentrism, distorted perspectives and relativity of ancient pre-colonial African epistemologies implications in today’s educational civic responsibilities. Research findings indicated applicability of ancient pre-colonial epistemologies today and in the future given the cumulative dialectic essence of knowledge. Pre-colonial epistemologies can play significant contributions in multiple education aims of responsible, self-reliant, productive participation and reflective citizenship. Given the infinitum potentiality of pre-colonial epistemology implications, this research recommended adaptation of pre-colonial pedagogies into worldwide formal contemporary education systems. However, mainstreaming ancient pre-colonial epistemologies will be a challenge without decolonising and deconstructing contemporary pro-Western teacher education systems. Article visualizations: