Indigenous knowledge systems in two case studies: Mozambique and Bolivia

 

Indigenous knowledge systems in two case studies

 

Marc Jacquinet, Laura A. Nhauelque, and Luca Bussotti

 

 

This is the contribution on a special book in the sustainability series dedicated to indigenous methodologies. Our chapter is entitled “Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Methods Against Ignorance: Two Case Studies of Amakhuwa in Mozambique and Aymaras in Bolivia” (Jacquinet, Nhaueleque and Bussotti 2022); the details are in the reference section. 

 

 

La vraie philosophie est de rapprendre à voir le monde, et en ce sens une histoire racontée

peut signifier le monde avec autant de « profondeur » qu’un traité de philosophie.

Nous prenons en main notre sort, nous devenons responsables de notre histoire par la réflexion, mais aussi bien par une décision où nous engageons notre vie, et dans les deux cas il s’agit d’un acte violent qui se vérifie en s’exerçant.

Merleau-Ponty, La phénoménologie de la perception, p. xviii

 

The question of news ways of practicing research for sustainability is gaining traction, at least in two directions, one is interdisciplinarity (Frodeman, Klein, Pacheco 2019) and the other is indigenous and local systems of knowledge and culture. Both are important for innovative research practice and dealing with issues such as epistemic injustice, political economy of ignorance, human rights, alternative paths to development, sustainability, climate change, and activisms in favor of the environment and nature.

The present chapter starts with a clarification on what matters in terms of sustainability, sustainable development, critical realism, institutions and the context of indigenous research and methodologies. The first section is dedicated to the criticism of economic development and the shortcomings of current social research that does not integrate local knowledge and participation with a focus on their relationships with the notion of institution. The second section deals with agency, participation, culture, and languages of local populations in the global south to introduce two case studies that will be developed in the third and fourth sections: the Andean notion of “Buen vivir” in western South America (more specifically Aymara and Quechua language groups) and the Amakhuwas in Mozambique. The final section of the paper is dedicated to a discussion of the deliberate ignorance of local knowledge as well as its use and abuse from scholars, consultants, and policymakers.

 

The first section settles the conceptual issues. The notion of sustainability and institutions are discussed to grasp better the relevance of local and indigenous knowledge. Institutions are not limited here to the notion of factors related to economic growth, but systems of norms and rules that are embedded in local cultures and not easily grasped by a utilitarian view of social science as enshrined in neoclassical economics. The perspective is one of critical realism and openness to new methodologies.

The second section relates institutions, IKS and agency and participation of local actors in the consulting, knowledge producing and implementation of action (and policy action) in geographical areas of concern.

The third section is about the “suma qamaña” (buen vivir or living-well in Aymara) case study and the importance of this concept for sustainable development and its misuse in the characterization of some aspects of the Andean societies with respect to sustainability. The concept is more than a discussion of production and consumption systems of capitalist economies, it consists of a different worldview that is related to participatory decision-making processes and local consultation of populations.

The fourth section develops the case of Amakhuwa people and focuses on how Western approach to traditional practices, namely initiation rites, enters in contradiction with local, collective mentalities. The tendency of this literature is to consider initiation rites as harmful practices, including them within the general category of violation of human rights, against young women. This approach is not shared by local communities, which yet consider initiation rites as a fundamental tool for their collective identities and principles.

In the final section, the authors consider not just the deliberate ignorance of local knowledge and cultures but also its use and abuse for different actors and interest groups or entities of what matters to local people in terms of quality of live, livelihood, institutions, and sustainability

 

 

Reference

Jacquinet, M., Nhaueleque, L.A., Bussotti, L. (2022). Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Methods Against Ignorance: Two Case Studies of Amakhuwa in Mozambique and Aymaras in Bolivia. In: Mbah, M.F., Leal Filho, W., Ajaps, S. (eds) Indigenous Methodologies, Research and Practices for Sustainable Development. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12326-9_11 

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-12326-9 

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