Can Diversity Extend to Ways of Knowing? Engaging Cross-Cultural Paradigms

This article briefly outlines three examples of cross-cultural academic programs, each bringing to the table either indigenous knowledge or Chinese medicine, knowledge generally considered to lie beyond the "research base" of 1862 land-grant institutions. In the process, the gate-keeping function of our "research-base" is challenged, examined here through a cultural lens. Including diverse ways of knowing as assets within the scope of academic work can enhance engagement outreach, but it asks us to re-examine basic assumptions of our academic culture.