Should indigenous knowledge in development be redefined? Lessons from the artisanal mining sector in Ghana

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dc.contributor.authorOfori, Alesia Dedaa
dc.contributor.authorMdee, Anna
dc.date.accessioned2025-04-28T14:50:44Z
dc.date.available2025-04-28T14:50:44Z
dc.date.freetoread2025-04-28
dc.date.issued2025-04-15
dc.date.pubOnline2025-01-21
dc.description.abstractIndigenous knowledge is often posed as a unified body of knowledge, undefiled and somewhat sanctimonious. When it does not appear so, it is claimed that indigenous knowledge, particularly, has been ‘adulterated’ by Westernised ideologies from colonialism and modernisation. This perceived dichotomy, i.e. indigenous versus modern knowledge, often ignores the possibility of hybridised knowledge, a continuous and complicated everyday process whereby various forms of knowledge blend in space and time. This paper, therefore, argues that the existence of dichotomous and distinct forms of knowledge is a mirage. Rather, what may be termed indigenous is a co-produced knowledge by multiple actors and agents, having evolved through rigorous negotiations, legitimisation and politico-economic contestations. We make this point by analysing the bricolage processes of alteration and aggregation between ideologies perceived to be rooted in African indigenous knowledge systems, and modern, colonially rooted religious ideologies in a Ghanaian mining village. The paper highlights the importance of context in these discussions. We conclude that particularly in rapidly shifting socio-economic, political and cultural landscapes, indigenous knowledge as a distinct body of applicable knowledge remains contestable and complex and therefore solicits for intentional dissection and detangling, especially within development practice.
dc.description.journalNameInternational Development Planning Review
dc.format.extentpp. 153-174
dc.identifier.citationOfori AD, Mdee A. (2025) Should indigenous knowledge in development be redefined? Lessons from the artisanal mining sector in Ghana. International Development Planning Review, Volume 47, Issue 2, April 2025, pp. 153-174en_UK
dc.identifier.eissn1478-3401
dc.identifier.elementsID562439
dc.identifier.issn1474-6743
dc.identifier.issueNo2
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.3828/idpr.2024.23
dc.identifier.urihttps://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/23595
dc.identifier.volumeNo47
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherLiverpool University Pressen_UK
dc.publisher.urihttps://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/epdf/10.3828/idpr.2024.23
dc.rightsAttribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/
dc.subject4404 Development Studiesen_UK
dc.subject44 Human Societyen_UK
dc.subjectUrban & Regional Planningen_UK
dc.subject4407 Policy and administrationen_UK
dc.titleShould indigenous knowledge in development be redefined? Lessons from the artisanal mining sector in Ghanaen_UK
dc.typeArticle
dcterms.dateAccepted2024-08-21

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