Mapping the field of Indigenous knowledges in anti‐colonial discourse: a transformative journey in education

This paper interrogates Indigenous knowledge and practices a crucial form of anti‐colonial resistance. It aims to capture the fluidity between the past and present, recognizing that the former cannot be quarantined from the latter. In this exploratory discussion, I argue that Indigenous knowledge is a living experience that is informed by ancestral voices. Within this context, I examine anti‐colonial discourses as articulated by scholars in the 1960s and as they are taken up today. Discourses are ways of referring to, or constructing knowledge about, a particular topic, practice, social activity or institutional site in society. In doing so, I aim to share with the reader my struggle with colonial education and to elicit a dialogue on questions about how we, individually and collectively, can disrupt the entrenchment of this type of education. These questions include: How did colonial systems of education disrupt the spiritual and cultural beliefs and traditional ways of life of African peoples? How have colonized peoples, especially African women, resisted, and how do they continue to resist, colonial education? And how can the engagement of Indigenous Knowledge transform pedagogical approaches, curriculum, and learning in the academy? In exploring these questions, I will examine the concept of knowledge production: who controls knowledge and whose knowledge is valid. My reflections are grounded in my experiences as an African woman caught between a European education system and a traditional knowledge base.