Research on Indigenous knowledge systems: the search for cognitive justice

Abstract

ABSTRACT Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) are referred to differently in different contexts and circumstances. Related conceptions include ‘Traditional Knowledge Systems’ (TKS), ‘Endogenous Knowledge Systems’ (EKS) and ‘Classical Knowledge Systems’ (CKS). A focus on IKS implies an archaeology and re-appropriation of those knowledges that were not allowed to ‘be’, to enhance our human understanding, and develop, protect, and promote them. Most exigent in a decolonised context is the transformative challenge of developing appropriate protocols, codes of conduct, and terms for any dialogue and integration. This paper argues that at a systems level, IKS demands: establishing an ethically sound and ecologically constituted way of thinking; affirming the multiplicity of worlds and forms of life; creating a shared paradigm shift; self-reflexive praxis; becoming critical explorers of human and societal possibilities; establishing new evaluation and appraisal criteria; and a transformation to new futures. Such a transformation recognises cognitive justice as a plurality of ways of knowing.