Globalisation and the Construction of Western and Non-Western Knowledge

Anthropological interest in non-Western knowledge dates from the very beginning of the discipline. Early anthropologists interested in the so-called ‘savage’ or ‘primitive’ mind asked, in effect: do non-Western peoples think differently from Western peoples and, if so, how? In the years since, this question has periodically surfaced, been critiqued, submerged and reappeared. A recent incarnation – and one of particular importance to the reigning paradigms of global conservation and development – involves non-Western, indigenous environmental knowledge. Anthropological interest in indigenous systems of resource management also dates back to the early years of the discipline, and especially flourished with the rise