4.6 Article

Whose Knowledge Counts? The Struggle to Revitalise Indigenous Knowledges in Guatemala

Journal

SUSTAINABILITY
Volume 13, Issue 21, Pages -

Publisher

MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/su132111589

Keywords

indigenous knowledge; ancestral knowledge; traditional knowledge; environmental management; cultural revitalization; decoloniality

Ask authors/readers for more resources

This paper examines the role and importance of indigenous knowledge in sustainability, discussing the struggles of indigenous groups in seeking recognition and validation of their knowledge, as well as their efforts to find paths towards socioecological balance. It utilizes decolonial theory in its analysis, highlighting power structures and hierarchies within academia.
This paper investigates the role of indigenous knowledge in relation to ideas of sustainability focusing on Guatemala. Previous research on environmental engagement and public understanding of science demonstrates the importance of including different perspectives, including traditional forms of knowledges such as for example indigenous knowledges. Environmental governance and management are areas in which indigenous peoples strive towards an acceptance of indigenous knowledge to be placed next to Western scientific knowledge. The struggle concerns the management and control of indigenous territories, but it also concerns the dismantling of a hierarchical understanding of knowledge, which lessens indigenous knowledge about ecosystems and about how to create a good life. Through the revitalization of indigenous knowledge and traditional practices, indigenous communities develop ideas and establishments to find paths towards socioecological balance. This paper studies indigenous groups' understandings of indigenous knowledge, their struggle to revitalise knowledge and their efforts for it to become validated. It uses decolonial theory in its analysis and raises questions of power structures and hierarchies within academia.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.6
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available