An organizing framework to break down Western-centric views of knowledge in North –South research

AbstractGlobal challenges, such as climate change, persistent poverty, and food insecurity are complex problems. These societal, environmental, and economic challenges cross scientific disciplines, communities, and geographies, requiring interdisciplinary, North –South solutions. Nevertheless, prevailing sustainability science responses are Western-centric. Some seminal studies have attempted to understand and engage with diverse knowledge systems. These include decolonial and Indigenous methodologies, such as “Two-Eyed Seeing”, which emphasizes the i mportance of using both Western and Indigenous knowledge to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the world, and participatory action research, which highlights the importance of involving participants in the research process and promoting social change through collaborative effort. However, ap art from in-country research collaborations with traditional Indigenous knowledge, most North–South studies overlook the role or influence of Western-centric views and therefore fail to recognize and incorporate diverse worldviews and knowledge systems. This may, in part, reflect the tendency to c ategorize research into disciplinary silos, but more likely is the unintentional, yet prevalent, view that Western science is “objective and neutral.” As more scholars from multiple disciplines and geographies focus on interdisciplinary North–South research, it is critical that researchers ref lect on dominant research approac...
Source: Sustainability Science - Category: Science Source Type: research