On the Indigenization of Academic Discourse

The institutional and theoretical dependence of Third World scholars on Western social science has resulted in what has been referred to as the captive mind. The captive mind is uncritical and imitative in its approach to ideas and concepts from the West.1 This state of affairs has brought forth various reactions from intellectuals in developing societies. One such reaction is the call to the indigenization of Third World social sciences. However, the call to indigenization itself is fraught with difficulties. In the following section the problem of imitation in development studies is raised and the call to indigenization is discussed. Then, I proceed with a discussion by Foucault on the relationship between discourse and power. The understanding of this relationship between discourse and power is then brought to bear upon both the problem of imitation of Western social science in developing societies as well as the problems faced in the indigenization of the social sciences in these societies. The aim here is to present an understanding of the problem of imitation and an insight into the obstacles faced by indigenization efforts in terms of the relationship between discourse and power.