This book discusses the vital importance of including indigenous knowledges in the sustainable development agenda. In the wake of colonialism and imperialism, dialogue between indigenous knowledges and Western epistemology has broken down time and again. However, in recent decades the broader indigenous struggle for rights and recognition has led to a better understanding of indigenous knowledges, and in 2015 the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined the importance of indigenous engagement in contributing to the implementation of the agenda. Drawing on experiences and field work from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe, Indigenous Knowledges and the Sustainable Development Agenda brings together authors who explore social, educational, institutional and ecological sustainability in relation to indigenous knowledges. In doing so, this book provides a comprehensive understanding of the concept of "sustainability", at both national and international levels, from a range of diverse perspectives. As the decolonizing debate gathers pace within mainstream academic discourse, this book offers an important contribution to scholars across development studies, environmental studies, education, and political ecology.

Contributed papers presented at the Conference.

The book's focus is the hegemonic role of so-called modernist, Western epistemology that spread in the wake of colonialism and the capitalist economic system, and its exclusion and othering of other epistemologies. Through a series of case studies the book discusses how the domination of Western epistemology has had a major impact on the epistemological foundation of the education systems across the globe. The book queries the sustainability of hegemonic epistemology both in the classrooms in the global South as well as in the face of the imminent ecological challenges of our common earth, and discusses whether indigenous knowledge systems would better serve the pupils in the global South and help promote sustainable development.

Working with Indigenous Knowledge: A guide for researchers

This book states that whilst academic research has long been grounded on the idea of western or scientific epistemologies, this often does not capture the uniqueness of Indigenous contexts, and particularly as it relates to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs were announced in 2015, accompanied by 17 goals and 169 targets. These goals are the means through which Agenda 2030 for sustainable development is to be pursued and realised over the next 15 years, and the contributions of Indigenous peoples are essential to achieving these goals. Indigenous peoples can be found in practically every region of the world, living on ancestral homelands in major cities, rainforests, mountain regions, desert plains, the arctic, and small Pacific Islands. Their languages, knowledges, and values are rooted in the landscapes and natural resources within their territories. However, many Indigenous peoples are now minorities within their homelands and globally, and there is a dearth of research based on Indigenous epistemologies and methodologies. Furthermore, academic research on Indigenous peoples is typically based on western lenses. Thus, the paucity of Indigenous methodologies within mainstream research discourses present challenges for implementing practical research designs and interpretations that can address epistemological distinctiveness within Indigenous communities. There is therefore the need to articulate, as well as bring to the nexus of research aimed at fostering sustainable development, a decolonising perspective in research design and practice. This is what this book wants to achieve. The contributions critically reflect on Indigenous approaches to research design and implementation, towards achieving the sustainable development goals, as well as the associated challenges and opportunities. The contributions also advanced knowledge, theory, and practice of Indigenous methodologies for sustainable development.

Indigenous peoples are responsible for most of the world's cultural and biological diversity. The primary purpose of this document is to alert the conservation and development communities to the value and importance of involving indigenous peoples in national and other strategies for sustainable development

Master's Thesis from the year 2016 in the subject Literature - Africa, , language: English, abstract: This study reveals that Fágúnwà, in his five novels, consciously adresses the issue of sustainable development through the use of indigenous knowledge. Fágúnwà, for instance, emphasises the utilisation of the Yorùbá indigenous knowledge, such as its medicine and health care, the indigenous corpus of folktales and fables, the indigenous technology among others, for sustainable development. His inclusion of the moonlight tales in his novels is a weapon for sustainable development by inculcating the right virtues in the children and ensuring the subsistence of their indigenous culture. This will help the children to become good future leaders and members of the community. He encourages subsistence farming by all households in order to reduce hunger, unemployment and to inculcate hard work in the children. This will lead to sustainable development of self-reliance in every family. Fágúnwà also espouses relationship with neighbouring and far away towns in order to acquire more knowledge for sustainable development. He supports voyage to gain knowledge on administration, management and peaceful existence. Àkàrà Ògùn, Olówó-aiyé, Ìrèké and Àdìtú all embark on expeditions to sustain their communities. These, among others, are Fágúnwà’s ways of projecting sustainable development through the Yorùbá indigenous knowledge. Hence, this study concludes that Fágúnwà’s novels, through its reflection of the Yorùbá indigenous knowledge, project sustainable development. This means the Yorùbá indigenous knowledge if well employed will aid sustainable development. Therefore, the focus of this study on the reflection of indigenous knowledge and sustainable development in Fágúnwà novels, is believed, will instigate scholars to study more on the concept of indigenous knowledge, its significance and relevance to sustainable development.

This open access book outlines development theory and practice over time as well as critically interrogates the "cultural turn" in development policy in Latin American indigenous communities, specifically, in Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, and Bolivia. It becomes apparent that culturally sustainable development is both a new and old idea, which is simultaneously traditional and modern, and that it is a necessary iteration in thinking on development. This new strain of thought could inform not only the work of development practitioners, graduate students, and theorists working in the Global South, but in the Global North as well. This work was published by Saint Philip Street Press pursuant to a Creative Commons license permitting commercial use. All rights not granted by the work's license are retained by the author or authors.