Knowledges and knowing: indigenous and alternative knowledges and the western canon

Abstract

A shift in the way that knowledge is understood and recognised has been occurring in the Western academy in recent years. Marked by significant works from within the academy, such as those by Connell (2008), Denzin and Lincoln (2005), and Kincheloe and Semali (1998), and from a growing acknowledgment of theorists, academics and activists from outside the canon, the understanding of knowledge systems and ways of knowing different to that from the West has gathered momentum. This paper will explore some of the key tenets of recent writing in the engagement of 'indigenous' and 'alternative' knowledge systems in terms of 'border' theory, whilst charting a direction for research methodologies that engage and remain respectful to epistemologies and ways of knowing alternative to those of the Western academy.