Erowid References Database
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Hirst M.
“Catha Edulis And Its Utilization: Local Xhosa Knowledge In The Eastern Cape”.
. 2002.
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Abstract
In this paper I intend to critique the concept of `indigenous knowledge systems'. It is unfortunate concatenation of terms devoid of analytical and methodological relevance to the study of local knowledge. Information and systems theory has the inherent defect of presupposing the very existence, form and nature of the datum it studies, when the characteristics, among other pertinent details, can only be determined empirically and inductively. Before proceeding with this critique, however, it is necessary to make a few preliminary remarks. I consider myself to be a scholar of what I term local knowledge, particularly those versions varieties of it occurring in vernacular Xhosa. In the Eastern Cape, where I live and work, the mere mention of the term `indigenous knowledge' inevitably raises eyebrows and evokes grimaces and frowns. Viewed against the background of South Africa's recent apartheid past, such a response to the term is understandable.
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