The Interface of Neoliberal Globalization, Science Education and Indigenous African Knowledges in Africa.

In a globalized neo-colonial world, an insidious and often debilitating crisis of knowledge construction and legitimation does not only continue to undermine the local and indigenous knowledge systems, but it also perpetuates a neo-colonial and oppressive socio-cultural science educational system that debilitates the social and cultural identity of the indigenous African student. As Schissel and Wotherspoon (2003: vii) argue, "Educational relations are critical elements of our humanity and sociability." This paper explores the homogenizing effects of globalization and the oppressive forces of neo-colonialism that continue to work together to privilege "western-based scientific knowledge" at the expense of indigenous knowledge systems. As a result, valuable indigenous African scientific knowledge is in danger of being lost to indigenous communities, and students are not learning bodies of knowledge representative of their community knowledge, resulting in a diminished identity formation. The paper argues and concludes that indigenous knowledges/sciences have a role to play in identity formations of indigenous African learners and the students need to become knowledgeable in both African indigenous knowledge and Western dominant scientific knowledge through critical pedagogies and pedagogy of place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]