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Traditional Knowledge for Sustainable Development: A Case from the Health Sector in Kerala, India
The United Nations’ Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) aims, among other objectives, to foster and promote the mainstreaming of intercultural approaches within a social learning process through multi-sectoral, collaborative and interdisciplinary methods. Biological as well as cul...
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| Format: | Printed Book |
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| Online Access: | http://10.26.1.76/ks/005780.pdf |
| Summary: | The United Nations’ Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) aims, among other
objectives, to foster and promote the mainstreaming of intercultural approaches within a social learning
process through multi-sectoral, collaborative and interdisciplinary methods. Biological as well as cultural
diversity are inherently linked and form an important part of the sustainable development education process.
Traditional knowledge (TK), a central dimension of bio-cultural diversity, is also receiving increased attention
in this context. However there are several socio-political and methodological challenges of integrating TK in
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) programs. Using the case of traditional medicine from Kerala
state, India, this paper attempts to highlight the importance of and the issues pertinent to such integration in a
local context. It also highlights the role of endogenous development processes to achieve different objectives,
including specifically those related to ESD processes. Appropriate learning methods need to be designed with
sensitivity to epistemological and contextual dimensions of traditional knowledge. For education programs to
be effective they need to be addressed at various levels of social integration such as communities, civil society
groups, nongovernmental organizations, formal and informal learning institutions, local administrative
structures, and national, international, multilateral and policy forums. |
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