Papers by Jadie McDonnnell
Through an anti-colonial, critical development and Indigenous discursive framework, this paper at... more Through an anti-colonial, critical development and Indigenous discursive framework, this paper attempts to deconstruct the Euro-Western epistemological dominance of development in Africa by exploring the epistemology and axiology of the African cosmovision as an alternative for African development. Providing a theoretical analysis of Euro-Western evolutionary and positivist theories, this paper demonstrates how these “universal” theories have dismissed and denigrated spiritual knowledges in Africa, thus questioning the foundation of African life. To counteract the epistemological dominance of Euro-Western development and the positivist and reductionist theories which it is built upon, this paper explores the potential of an African cosmovision – a spiritualized worldview – as an Indigenous alternative for African development. Using an overview of African epistemologies as a theoretical framework for development, this paper suggest four fundamental changes that may disrupt the current reductionist and positivist framework of development: 1) reconceptualising development to reflect an asset-based approach whereby local spiritual worldviews and Indigenous knowledges at the basis of initiatives; 2) reframing development as a holistic process that draws on the interconnections manifested in African epistemology; 3) challenging the expertise of Euro-Western development practitioners, thus visioning local peoples as experts to their own development; and 4) troubling the assumed link between African schooling and development by questioning the abundance of Euro-Western knowledges in African schooling. To conclude, this paper suggests that research must be conducted to initiate deeper insight into local, spiritualized knowledges and their potential for a revitalization African development and, furthermore, how they may disrupt and challenge the larger International Development discourse.
The current approach to African development is driven by Euro-Western material/physical approache... more The current approach to African development is driven by Euro-Western material/physical approaches that fail to acknowledge the integral link between culture and development. For African development to truly speak to the realities and needs of African peoples, a reconceptualization of development is necessary, one which examines how Indigenous African knowledges can inform development. Using an anti-colonial, critical development and Indigenous discursive frameworks, this thesis examines how Akan, Gonja and Bogon proverbs, as Indigenous African knowledges, provide theoretical and practical knowledges for reconceptualising localized approaches to African development. Through interviews with local development practitioners and local Chiefs and the analysis of collected proverbs, the thesis reveals that proverbs, as linguistic, cultural and spiritual knowledges are deeply embedded in Ghanaian life and may function as excellent culturally relevant tools for a localized approach to African development.
Books by Jadie McDonnnell
Peter Lang International Academic Publishers., 2018
African Proverbs as Epistemologies of Decolonization calls for a rethinking of education by engag... more African Proverbs as Epistemologies of Decolonization calls for a rethinking of education by engaging African proverbs as valuable and salient epistemologies for contemporary times. The book addresses the pedagogic, instructional, and communicative relevance of African proverbs for decolonizing schooling and education in pluralistic contexts by questioning the instructional, pedagogic, and communications lessons of these proverbs and how they can be employed in the education of contemporary youth. It presents a critical discursive analysis of proverbs from selected African contexts, highlighting the underlying knowledge base that informs these cultural expressions. Explore alongside the book the ways in which these Indigenous teachings can be engaged by schools and educators to further the objective of decolonizing education by providing a framework for character education. This character-based framework equips the learner to be knowledgeable about power, equity, ethics and morality, and to develop a conscience for social responsibility, as well as to embrace traditional notions of self-discipline, probity, and hard work. This text goes beyond the mere documentation of proverbs to tease out how embedded knowledge and cultural referents in these knowledge bases and systems are critical for transforming education for young learners today.
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Papers by Jadie McDonnnell
Books by Jadie McDonnnell