INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND INTERNATIONAL (ANTHROPOCENTRIC) LAW: The Politics of Thinking from (and for) Another World

Abstract

CInternational law is gradually recognising Indigenous knowledge (IK) as a human right that must be respected, as an asset to be protected under property rights rules, and as a condition to effectively implement environmental and development initiatives. However, scholarly contributions lack a critical analysis of the ways this recognition, rather than acknowledging the relevance of these knowledge systems to reshape current institutions and discourses, has meant the reaffirmation of hegemonic ideas and regulations. After a deep examination of the literature of international law and international development, and an analysis of international discourses and mechanisms that address IK, this chapter argues that international law has essentialised, commodified, and instrumentalised IK, treating it as a second-level system of knowledge unable to support broader international rules to address environmental, sanitary, and food crises.