Is local knowledge peripheral? The future of Indigenous knowledge in research and development

Abstract

The concepts of the core, semi-periphery, and periphery emanated from a mix of dependency and postmodernist thoughts, which rejected the notion of a Third World from which local knowledge emanates and develops. That local or Indigenous knowledge is perceived as backward and antidevelopment is no longer new. The illogical arguments or enthymemes, the rhizomes, and minor literatures and disruptive narratives continue to threaten the hegemony of the Academy. Although the autochthonous and ambivalent nature of local knowledge appears problematic for finding a methodological coherence for these knowledge systems in the knowledge production frontier, it certainly provides an opportunity for the advocacy of a context-specific approach to addressing development problems. Critical literature review and analysis form the methodological approach of the article. The analysis offers a critique on insider academics and researchers who aid and abet the outsiders’ development agenda, which are problematic for valorizing grassroots peoples’ knowledge.