Science in society: challenges and opportunities for indigenous knowledge in the present-day context

Abstract

Generally, when we talk or think about science, we refer to that of Western or industrialized societies, assuming that science is only there in those societies and quite often implying that scientific rigour or interest is absent in other societies. The role of science is to help mankind meet the various demands for exploiting natural resources in the best possible way without adversely affecting the environment. In most societies, there exists a rich body of knowledge based on how to meet the demands of that particular society but quite often these are ignored. We need to look at indigenous science and technology particularly when an existing body of knowledge is available. Perhaps it is better to develop it instead of disregarding it in the name of scientific progress. The prevailing health and medical system, the Western system, has unfortunately failed to meet the needs of all. In most countries, frightening policy changes place less and less emphasis on the social and welfare sectors and higher emphasis on the economic and infrastructure sectors. As such, funds allocated to health are going down. The implications of such a trend in countries where health insurance is unaffordable for the majority, is unimaginable. In this changing situation, the conditions of the poor, particularly the indigenous people, have become critical. In this paper, challenges and opportunities for indigenous health practices are examined in the context of forest situations, forest policy and related environmental issues.

Keywords:

• health for all
• traditional wisdom
• indigenous health
• forestry policy
• oral tradition

Acknowledgements

The observations made in this paper are based on the findings of research studies sponsored by ICSSR (Indian Council of Social Science Research), ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research), Asian Community Health Action Network and some action programmes sponsored by CAPART (Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology), conducted with some activist groups in West Bengal, Jharkand and Orissa. A number of workshops were also organized to generate interaction between traditional/tribal medicine men, researchers, doctors and planners in different parts of Chhotanagpur region. Moreover, sharing the experiences of Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka proved to be immensely stimulating.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.