Ontology unveiled, serpents remembered, time reconfigured
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20045485 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Peter R Schmidt (0000-0002-5700-3144, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Pages | 58-76 |
| Publication date | 2018-10-26 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | CHAPTER |
| Venue | Time and History in Prehistory (SOURCE_BOOK) |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.4324/9781315531854-4 |
| OpenAlex | W2910129869 |
| ISBN | 9781315531854 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 1 |
Indigenous theories of historical knowledge have been relegated to permanent off-stage status. Those who have had the privilege to collaborate with historically minded counterparts in other cultures have incrementally accumulated local knowledge and accommodated local beliefs about history and have, both consciously and unconsciously, woven local ontologies into their historical interpretations. These new interpretative tapestries privilege a flow of history unbounded by the dichotomies of the West, where history is walled off from prehistory – a period when myth and other “unreliable” oral genres prevail. Co-investigation with local collaborators in Tanzania leads us in new theoretical directions, drawing on indigenous ways of representing historical process – ranging from political appropriation of powerful historical discourses to the recognition of ontologies that carry potent identities. These historical discourses in north-west Tanzania capture how history may be theorized to overcome the boundaries that occlude our understanding of the origins of institutions, the vitality of historical practice, and the role of deep time meanings in everyday life. These historical insights arise out of diverse setting, including embodied experiences, such as building shrines and performance of rituals at sacred places – significantly different from how indigenous history was previously theorized and how the West theorizes history today. Acceptance of indigenous theories of history requires moving off centre stage, embracing local practice, and discovering how co-practice may enrich Western theory
Art · Epistemology · Ontology · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Computer Science · Diverse Musicological Studies · Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Agriculture · Philosophy
| Citations per year | 0.33 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2014 - 2024 (11) |
| Highly cited | No |