Compas Presentation

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Towards Co-evolution of sciencesNo shortcut in
integrating local and global knowledge

• Overview
• Origin Compas
• Knowledge in intercultural perspective
• Definitions
• Sources and focus
• Indigenous perspective
• Intercultural perspective
• Typology of relations between forms of knowledge
• Endogenous development
• Challenges Strategy for co-evolution of sciences
  and cultures

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Origin

• Food production achievements and limitations
• HEIA.LEISA
• PTD
• Focus on Indigenous Knowledge
• Beyond technology cosmovision/culture
• Three dimensions
• Natural
• Human
• Spiritual

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Approach

• Action research in different ecological, economic
  and cultural environments
• 25 partners in 14 countries in 4 continents
• Supporting local initiatives for endogenous
  development
• Intercultural dialogues
• Compas magazine
• Workshops
• Scientific support and co-evolution of cultures
  and sciences University consortium (9 countries)

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Compas products

• Two books

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Compas products

• Website www.compas-network.org
• Six Compas Magazines
• 4000 subscribers English
• 2000 subscribers Spanish
• TMF funding till 2006
• University consortium in
• status nascendi

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Compas position on co-evolution of sciences

• Global and local knowledge can not simply be
  integrated by combining the best of both.
• The interface needs assessment of
• Existing power relations
• Epistemological differences (focus and sources)
• SWOT of each of the traditions involved
• Possibilities and results of initiatives to
  address SWOT
• And decision to collaborate, co-learn and
  co-evolve.

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Knowledge in intercultural perspective

• Definitions
• Information data processed and given a meaning.
• Knowledge Assumptions, concepts, and information
  acquired and processed by people Meaning given
  to phenomena and the basis for action.
• Science The complex of producing, storing,
  retrieving and utilization of knowledge within a
  theoretical and methodological framework accepted
  by a professional community.
• Best approximation/subject to improvement
• Socially constructed
• Different sciences exist in different cultures
  and professional communities
• Dominant science Carthesian

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Knowledge in intercultural perspective

• Focus, sources and objectives of Knowledge
• Focus HOW WHY
• Cause/effect Meaning
• Source Ratio Intuition
• knowing from knowing
• outside from inside
• Objective Control Sense giving

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Knowledge in intercultural perspective

• Rules of the game of inter-scientific dialogue
• Issues to be addressed
• Risk of imposing rules by dominating knowledge
• Bias on rationality or on intuition
• Diversity in types of modernization
• How to support diversity in modernization
• When is intercultural exchange a threat and when
  an asset.
• Mechanisms and strategies for co-evolution

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Knowledge in intercultural perspective

• Indigenous perspective
• Smith,(Maori)
• Formal science describe local notions of space,
  territory, time, numbers, sacred, rituals,
  initiation, visions, harmony and duality,
  seniority and morality in external language and
  concepts. Local management systems and solutions
  are not taken serious.
• Self-determination and revitalization requires
• Recovery of own ways of explaining, learning,
  teaching, experimenting
• Healing and restoring possible deficiencies of
  local knowing
• Mobilization of all available local resources for
  creating local livelihoods
• Transformation aiming at structural improvement
  of local knowledge

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Knowledge in intercultural perspective

• Multi-civilisational perspective (Huntington)
• Each civilization has its own identity, defined
  by
• language,
• history,
• belief,
• religion,
• customs,
• institutions,
• self identification
• knowledge

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Early civilizations, religions and knowledge
systems

• Civilizations
• Mesopotamia 3500 AC
• Egipto 3200 AC
• Indo 2500 AC
• China 1800 AC
• Grecia 700 AC
• Celtas 200 AC
• Roma 0
• Germanos 500 BC
• Mayas 800 DC
• Árabes 800 DC
• Zimbabwe 1200 DC
• Reinos Africanos Occidentales 1300 DC
• Incas 1400 DC

Religions B Budismo C Cristianismo H Hinduísmo I
Islam J Judaísmo S Shintoismo T Taoismo
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Process of colonization and domination

• Africa and Latin America
• recipient of western knowledge hardly longer
  producer of own knowledge. Marginalisation.
• Asia India/China
• written traditions more continuity Parallel
  knowledge
• Postcolonial period
• continuous dominant position of western/global
  knowledge
• Differentiation of western knowledge
• Neopositivism, Postmodernism, Globalisation
• Globalisation and localisation of knowledge
• Penetration of global markets, knowledge and
  values
• Renaissance of African, Asian and American
  knowledge

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Civilizations 2000
Western
Hindu
Source Huntington Clash of civilizations
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Contemporary sciences

• Africa
• Emphasis on WHY
• Role of ancestors and elders
• Role of spiritual leaders, sacrifices
• Hierarchy in divine beings
• Sacred character of nature
• Cyclic notion of time
• Magical powers () and (-)
• c.f. MILLAR
• India
• Five senses and the mind
• If mind is free of prejudices, it can complement
  the senses and understand reality from within
• Very long time perspective
• Meditative techniques
• c.f. BALU

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Contemporary sciences

• Andes
• Emphasis on WHY
• Sacred time space (pacha mama)
• Spiral notion of time
• Reciprocity
• Living astrology
• Fiestas
• c.f. DELGADO
• Europe
• Enlightenment/Carthesian science emphasis on HOW
• Materialism
• Post modernity diversity, holism, self
  regulation and chaos
• c.f. RIST

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Typology of relations between knowledges

• Type
• 1. Clash or hostilities
• Violent occupations, wars, resistance, fights
• 2. Going underground
• To avoid repression, hostilities or rejection,
  local knowledge continues in clandestinity
• 3. Parallel knowledge
• Co-existence of different knowledges without
  interaction

• Examples
• Fights between religions, war
• for independence
• Sjamanism,
• Maya priests
• Spirit medium in Africa
• Ayurvedic and bio-medical practices
• Conventional and bio-dynamic farming

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Typology of relations between knowledges

• 4. Utilitarism and selective inclusion
• Dominant science validates local technologies
  and selectively adopts certain elements
• 5. Suppression and substitution
• Dominant system forces indigenous concepts to be
  substituted
• 6. Paternalism
• Traditional knowledge is bottleneck to
  modernization and must be updated by science from
  outside

• Local herbs for health treatments
• Arab mathematics
• Chinese gunpowder
• Missionary conversion of religions
• Privatization of land
• Introduction of European languages
• Republican system of governance democracy and
  laws
• Transfer of technology in health and agricultural
  development

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Typology of relations between knowledges

• Syncretism
• Beliefs, knowledge and rituals are combined in
  such a way that both believe that their culture
  is dominant
• 8. Romanticism
• Local or global knowledge is considered as
  basically good and romanticized it should remain
  as it is.

• Carthesian science and Catholicism and Maya c.q.
  Andean knowledge and beliefs integrated
• Going native
• Rejection outside contributions
• Resistance to exchange

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Typology of relations between knowledges

• 9. Co-evolution
• Different knowledges evolve simultaneously by
  revitalization of own and by interaction with
  other knowledge
• 10. Transcultural and transdisciplinary synergy
• Each knowledge transcedes own limitations and
  together the different knowledges work towards
  holistic science that goes beyond the actual
  disciplinary and paradigmatic limitations

• India exchange and comparing health traditions
• Co-existing farm style in Europe
• Picads in Bolivia
• Empathic Learning and Action in Ghana.
• Concept of Gaia
• Holistic medicine,

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Typology Implications

• Power differences explain domination
• Existing knowledges are mutually influenced and
  interpenetrated
• Typology has political and ethical dimensions no
  value free relationship exists.
• Inter-scientific dialogues makes clear starting
  position with power aspects and epistemological
  differences (why-how, rationality-intuition).
• Publication only if it serves local interests,
  protect property rights in local language,
  co-authored, not providing technical details

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Typology Implications

• Dialogue implies horizontal relationship
• Willingness to listen
• Openness to learning
• Responsiveness to information, questions and
  suggestions
• Courage to criticize when considered necessary
• Endogenous development can indicate the processes
  or revitalization and conditions and mechanisms
  of co-evolution

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Typology Implications

• Risks of intercultural exchange
• Extraction of local knowledge
• Disturbing status quo
• Domination by outsiders
• Introduction of new lifestyle
• Disrespect for culture and spirituality
• Code of Conduct
• Accept conditions for hospitality and initiation
• Respect for diversity and local values
• Be a learner
• Support endogenous development

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Endogenous development

• Development based mainly, but not exclusively, on
  locally available resources. It has the openness
  to consider, modify and integrate traditional and
  outside knowledge. It has mechanisms for local
  learning and experimenting, building local
  economies and retention of benefits in the local
  area.

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Supporting local initiatives for endogenous
development 10 entry points

• Building on local needs
• and resources

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Supporting local initiatives for endogenous
development 10 entry points

• Improving local knowledge and practices

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Supporting local initiatives for endogenous
development 10 entry points

• Local control of development options

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Supporting local initiatives for endogenous
development 10 entry points

• Identification and
• use of development niches

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Supporting local initiatives for endogenous
development 10 entry points

• Selective use of external resources

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Supporting local initiatives for endogenous
development 10 entry points

• Retention of benefits in the local area

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Supporting local initiatives for endogenous
development 10 entry points

• Exchange and learning between cultures

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Supporting local initiatives for endogenous
development 10 entry points

• Training and capacity building

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Supporting local initiatives for endogenous
development 10 entry points

• Networking and strategic partnership

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Supporting local initiatives for endogenous
development 10 entry points

• Understanding the systems of knowing and learning

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Towards a strategy for co-evolution of knowledges

• 1. Re-building relationships between different
  actors
• Local people, leaders, NGOs, governmental and
  religious agencies, universities, donors and
  international agencies. Horizontal- supportive
• 2. Learning about cosmovision and local
  knowledge
• Material, Social and Spiritual knowledge
• 3. Learn from community coping with dominant
  knowledge
• Type of relationship, different strategies used
  to survive, change, co-evolve. Differentiated for
  social categories

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Towards a strategy for co-evolution of knowledges

• 4. Community dialogue and decision about
  possible interaction with other knowledge
• Assess potentials and risks of exchange, take
  decisions on how to go about contacts.
• 5. Self defining strong and weak points of local
  knowledge, and how to deal with it.
• How and Why, ratio and intuition, dynamics in
  learning, teaching and innovation
• 6. Self defining strong and weak points of
  dominant knowledge, and how to deal with it.
• How and Why, ratio and intuition, dynamics in
  learning, teaching and innovation

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Towards a strategy for co-evolution of knowledges

• 7. Exchange of experience and CO-EVOLUTION
• exchange epistemologies and paradigms
• exchange self-assessment of knowledge systems
• look for synergy and complementarity
• question and challenge each other
• balance power and financial differences
• establish mechanisms for exchange and mutual
  learning joint prioritizing planning and
  implementing research, modification of research
  methods, exchange in workshops and publications,
  

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University Consortium

• Supporting field work
• Research on E.D.
• Developing a curriculum for university students
  on endogenous development
• Regional exchange
• Theory building based on own concepts, logic,
  values
• Co-evolution of sciences