Decolonised Knowledge

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://knowledgedemocracydspace.com/handle/123456789/1070

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Author: search.filters.author.Tandon, RajeshEnd date: 2018

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Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Knowledge democracy and excellence in engagement
    (IDS Bulletin, 2016-12) Tandon, Rajesh; Singh, Wafa; Clover, Darlene E; Hall, Budd L
    We often come across theories and aspects related to ‘knowledge’, but seldom do we try to understand its hidden implications. Knowledge as understood generally is about the information of facts and understanding of a subject. This article essentially argues against this understanding. It explores the multiple dimensions of ‘knowledge’ through a literature review and illustrations of practical examples. It makes a case for how important the process of knowledge creation is, especially given current societal challenges. It also outlines the importance of co-creation of knowledge, through acknowledgement and valuation of alternate paradigms of knowledge. Further, it discusses the concept of ‘knowledge democracy’, and how institutions of higher education, by abiding by its principles, can help achieve ‘excellence in engagement’. The article concludes with the findings of two studies undertaken by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair, which were based on the principles of ‘knowledge democracy’ and ‘excellence in engagement’
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    Partnering with higher education institutions for SDG 17: The role of higher education institutions in multi-stakeholder partnerships
    (2018-04) Tandon, Rajesh; Chakrabarti, Kaustuv
    Dr Rajesh Tandon and Dr Kaustuv Chakrabarti focus this paper on exploring the role of HEIs in achieving the SDGs and their roles in multi stakeholder partnerships. Given the emphasis of intergovernmental agencies on partnerships including various stakeholders and its growing relevance in solving local development challenges, the second section of the paper provides a historical account of partnerships. The third section concentrates on the lessons of partnerships in the past two decades. Following which the paper presents the findings of a survey conducted by PRIA to understand the nuances of partnerships in present times. The final section analyses the implications for Higher Education Institutions in achieving the SDGs, pointing to the need for HEIs to rebalance power differentials and move beyond a teaching-only mode of engagement with other stakeholders.
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    Decolonization of knowledge, epistemicide, participatory research, and higher education
    (UCL Press, 2017) Hall, Budd L; Tandon, Rajesh
    This article raises questions about what the word ‘knowledge’ refers to. Drawn from some 40 years of collaborative work on knowledge democracy, the authors suggest that higher education institutions today are working with a very small part of the extensive and diverse knowledge systems in the world. Following from de Sousa Santos, they illustrate how Western knowledge has been engaged in epistemicide, or the killing of other knowledge systems. Community-based participatory research is about knowledge as an action strategy for change and about the rendering visible of the excluded knowledges of our remarkable planet. Knowledge stories, theoretical dimensions of knowledge democracy and the evolution of community-based participatory research partnerships are highlighted.
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    Creating knowledge: A monopoly? Participatory research in development
    (Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), 1982-06) Hall, Budd L; Gillete, Arthur; Tandon, Rajesh
    This book is about participatory research as a political process bound up with questions of power and knowledge production, rather than merely a set of methods. It opens with the Jamaican Drama for Progress literacy project, where a shift from delivering pre-written messages to villagers toward enabling them to write and perform their own material captures the move from research done on people to research done with them. Drawing on the Latin American tradition of investigación acción and Paulo Freire's thematic investigation, the collection questions who is authorised to produce knowledge about poverty and underdevelopment. Five theoretical essays address participation, power and alternative methods, followed by seven case studies from Indonesia, Senegal, Tanzania, England, Chile, Canada and India, and a concluding section of critical reactions. Rather than success stories, what emerges are unresolved questions about initiating participatory work, sustaining ties with political organisations, and balancing theory with praxis in research committed to social transformation.
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    Zapatistas in Chiapas
    (1984-03-23) Tandon, Rajesh
    At a moment when Mexico was entering a new era of economic liberalisation under NAFTA, an unexpected uprising in Chiapas reshaped debates on democracy, land, and indigenous rights. This paper examines the Zapatista movement within the longer history of indigenous struggle while drawing attention to its distinctive way of combining traditional claims with new tools of communication and solidarity. The research also considers how the movement’s vision travelled beyond Chiapas, raising questions about development, autonomy, and cultural survival. In doing so, it argues for seeing the Zapatistas not only as a regional rebellion but as a reminder that struggles over dignity and self-determination can unsettle dominant ideas of governance in ways that remain unresolved.
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    Education for all as determined by the few?
    (Society for Participatory Research in Asia, 1989-12) Tandon, Rajesh
    The text talks about the World Conference on ‘Education For All’ world charter, and the subsequent issues raised by educationalists while examining their documents. The text examines eleven such issues. First, the narrow economistic and utilitarian view of education focused on human capital formation rather than a humanistic vision. Second, education is portrayed as adaptative and socializing rather than transformative and liberating. Third, ignorance being equated with illiteracy, ignoring the knowledge and wisdom of non-literate people and the destruction caused by the literates. Fourth, the documents treat Education For All as a techno managerial problem rather than recognizing it as a fundamentally political decision requiring political will. Fifth, disparities in education are presented as the reason for underdevelopment, ignoring that educational disparities are rooted in socio-economic and political inequalities. Sixth, gender justice receives only superficial attention despite women constituting 70% of those denied education. Seventh, other marginalized groups like the tribals, scheduled castes, the poor, minorities are also largely ignored. Eighth, literacy is underplayed despite being central to Education For All. Ninth, the process is highly centralized, excluding the common people whose learning needs are to be met. Tenth, resource mobilization discussions fail to address debt burdens and defense expenditures that divert resources from education. Finally, the whole process and language of the documents risks new forms of colonization, with educational agendas determined mainly by donors and experts from the North. The paper concludes by calling for this initiative to be critiqued, discussed, and debated to ensure that Education For All becomes a genuine concern of all people.
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    Participatory research meeting in India
    (1979-02) Tandon, Rajesh
    This report documents a Participatory Research (PR) meeting held in February 1979. It was attended by 35 activists, field workers, researchers, and practitioners from across India. It describes case studies shared at the meeting, including West Bengal's Operation Barga sharecropper registration drive, a tribal-led irrigation scheme in Rajasthan, and the mobilization of landless labourers and tribal women through Maharashtra's Shramik Sangathana. The report then turns to debates that emerged on PR's relationship to social action, the overlapping roles of researcher and activist, the risk of fostering dependency, and possible entry points for PR work, along with a comparison of PR and classical research across five guiding principles. It closes by reflecting on the empathy and self-awareness needed in a participatory researcher.