Embracing Indigenous Knowledge in Science and Medical Teaching

The focus of the book is on different ways of knowing: the western scientific way (reductionist, dualistic and materialist) versus the indigenous approach (holistic, non-dualistic, and spiritual). This book describes the gaps and commonalities in African and Western ways of knowing concerning science and medicine. It reflects a personal journey in teaching science and trans-cultural medicine in the African setting. In addition, it describes how the author became an initiate as a traditional healer in Zimbabwe. The book combines educational theory, research and lived experiences of teaching in southern Africa with the ideas of the indigenous healers of the region. Incorporating new knowledge of African indigenous knowledge and traditional healers, the book provides insights about, and suggestions for teaching and caring that are both surprising and energizing for our future. The focus of the book is on different ways of knowing: the western scientific way (reductionist, dualistic and materialist) versus the indigenous approach (holistic, non-dualistic, and spiritual). It discusses both science and medicine in the context of the challenges experienced in introducing science and medicine into Africa through imperialism, colonization, and globalization. It looks at selected indigenous African paradigms, the dominant western paradigms, and the practitioners that represent these practices. The book deals with questions concerning compatibility and incompatibility of different ways of knowing and delves into epistemological stances, and the assumptions underlying these epistemologies. The volume investigates whether, and how a person can accommodate different epistemologies, and the nature of such accommodations.