Ubuntu as a blueprint: learning ethical transdisciplinarity from African indigenous knowledge systems

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Global Health Ethics
• Indigenous Studies

Background:

• Modern transdisciplinarity often overlooks ethical frameworks.
• Colonial research paradigms risk epistemic injustice in global projects.
• African Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) offer alternative, time-tested models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To posit African IKS as a blueprint for transdisciplinarity.
• To analyze risks of epistemic injustice in current research.
• To demonstrate how IKS principles align with ethical research frameworks.

Main Methods:

• Perspective paper analyzing IKS principles (holism, relationality, respect).
• Critical analysis of power structures in transdisciplinary research.
• Utilizing the WHO's ethical framework for traditional medicine research as a reference.

Main Results:

• IKS principles are essential for ethical, community-engaged research.
• Core tenets of ethical research (co-creation, benefit-sharing) are embedded in African IKS.
• Diverse IKS across Africa provide models for equitable research practices.

Conclusions:

• African IKS offer a robust framework for equitable and respectful transdisciplinary research.
• Decolonizing research methodologies requires critical integration of indigenous paradigms.
• Nuanced engagement with IKS can lead to impactful, co-created scientific outcomes for the common good.