Mapping Indigenous Knowledge in the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium

Institute for International Studies in Education
Mapping Indigenous Knowledge in
the World Indigenous Nations Higher
Education Consortium
W. James Jacob, Ph.D.
Director, Institute for International Studies in Education
University of Pittsburgh, USA
Che-Wei Lee, M.A.
Program Coordinator, Institute for International Studies in Education
University of Pittsburgh, USA
20 September 2012
Paper presented at the WINHEC International Indigenous Research Conference,
National Dong Hwa University, Hualien, Taiwan (ROC)

1. Introduction
2. Our Standpoint
3. WINHEC’s Global Strategic Framework
4. The Purpose of WINHEC Accreditation
5. Accreditation Framework
6. A Comparison of Two Accreditations
7. Redefining Academic Colonialism
8. Decolonizing Indigenous Research
9. Challenges, Dilemmas, Limits, and Potentials for
Indigenous Academia
10. Paradigms and Theories in Indigenous Studies
11. SWOC Analysis of the WINHEC Accreditation
12. Discussion
13. Conclusion
2/16
Copyright © 2012 by W. James Jacob and Che-Wei Lee

Introduction
• Why do we need WINHEC for indigenous and non-indigenous
peoples?
• Population: 2 percent of the world’s population living in more than 70
countries (350+ million people total)
• Mission: Self-Determination, Indigenous Academic Autonomy,
Indigenity Reconstruction
• Aim: WINHEC aims to provide an international forum and support for
indigenous peoples to pursue common goals through higher education.
• Establishment: “When a dozen education leaders met in Alberta,
Canada, in August 2002, they felt the familiar thrill of history being
made” (Ambler, 2005).
3/16

Our Standpoint
1. We argue that over-generalizing indigenous education issues cannot generate the
best way to indigenous sustainable development.
2. Indigenous-generated priorities and subjectivities for education affairs are the
key components to achieve the ideals of WINHEC.
3. In response to globalizing challenges and opportunities, we should promote
universal approaches to knowledge and understanding.
4. Rather than forcing indigenous languages, cultures, and identities to conform to
one education path or another, we argue for a path toward indigenous
sovereignty—where indigenous peoples have the ability to choose for
themselves the best education solutions for their unique and often complex
circumstances.
4/16

WINHEC’s Global Strategic Framework
5/16Source: WINHEC Accreditation Authority. 2010. WINHEC Accreditation Handbook: Higher Education. 3rd ed. Guovdageaidnu,
Norway: Sami University College.
(based on Articles of the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples)
Article # 12: The right to manage and develop their religious issues
Article # 13: The right to transmit and develop their cultural heritages
Article # 14: The right to form their education systems/institutions with their unique ways
Article # 15: The right to reduce discrimination with their states
Gathering all indigenous peoples around the world in the collective synergy of self-determination through control
of higher education and reaffirming indigenous peoples’ educational rights
Provide a forum and support for indigenous peoples to pursue common goals through higher education
1. Accelerating indigenous epistemologies
2. Protecting spiritual beliefs, culture & languages
3. Advancing socioeconomic & political status
4. Creating an accreditation body
5. Recognizing the importance of indigenous education
6. Creating a global network for exchanging knowledge
7. Recognizing the educational rights
8. Protecting indigenous intellectual property rights
9. Promoting traditional knowledge
Funding Principles
Goals
Mission
Vision

The Purpose of WINHEC Accreditation
1. Foster quality assurance in postsecondary education by
developing locally-defined criteria that justify quality and
effectiveness
2. Encourage institutional improvement of educational
endeavors
3. Insure the educational community established conditions
under which their achievement can reasonably be expected
4. Provide counsel and assistance to established and
developing institutions
6/16Source: WINHEC Accreditation Authority. 2010. WINHEC Accreditation Handbook:
Higher Education. 3rd ed. Guovdageaidnu, Norway: Sami University College.

Accreditation Framework
Source: WINHEC Accreditation Authority. 2010. WINHEC Accreditation Handbook: Higher Education. 3rd ed.
Guovdageaidnu, Norway: Sami University College.
Figure 1. WINHEC Accreditation Authority Application/Review Cycle
Application for Candidacy
Board Action on Candidacy
AA Review Team Visit
AA Rev/Accept
Prepare Self-Study
AA Forms Review TeamRec to WINHEC Board
10 Year Renewal
6/16

A Comparison of Two Accreditations
Non-Indigenous HEI WINHEC
Examples Non-indigenous Colleges and
Universities
Indigenous Higher Education
Institutions/programs, and
Universities, and Colleges
Focus Quality Assurance Indigenous Quality Assurance
Operation Self-study
Peer Review
Site Visits
Judgment by Accrediting Org.
Periodic External Review
continuous self-study and
evaluation
Review Team Visit
WINHEC Board Action of
Candidacy
Renewal Ongoing Process, from Every Few
Months (Quarterly Reports) to Up to as
Many as 10 Years
Every 10 Years
8/16

Redefining Academic Colonialism
Center States
(dominant/independent)
Peripheral States
(subordinate/dependent)
= Indirect Control (Imperialism, Colonialism)
• Standardizing
• Institutionalizing
• Socializing academic disciplines
Figure 2. Dynamic Structure of Unfair Academic Division-of-Labor
9/16
Sources: Lee, Che-Wei, and W. James Jacob. 2012. Academic Colonialism and Decolonizing Indigenous Research:
Issues and Potential for Indigenous Academia and Knowledge Systems. Paper presented at the 56th Annual Conference of Comparative
and International Education Society, San Juan, Peurto Rico.

Decolonizing Indigenous Research
Figure 3. The Indigenous Research Agenda
10/16
Source: Smith, Linda Tuhiwai. 1999. Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. New York: Zed Books.

Challenges, Dilemmas, Limits, and Potentials for
Indigenous Academia
• Power Control: Who controls the access to tenure and promotion?
• Circumstance: Hostile Non-Indigenous Academic Society (Dominant academic
professors fail to possess any minimum cultural sensitivity and insist on employing
one-size-fits-all indicators.)
• Colonial Legacy: Academic dependency is gradually consolidated in this
asymmetrical exchange of academic knowledge.
• Politics of Knowledge: The Right of the Cultural Interpretation vs. Knowledge
Sovereignty
• Policies: One example is the limits of the Affirmative Action Policy.
• Curricula: The Potential of Establishing Appropriate Disciplines
• Employment: Mainstream knowledge/value leads the market of the academic
employment.
• Sustainability: Indigenous Higher Education Institutions & Organic Community
11/16

Paradigms and Theories in Indigenous Studies
C
Bilateral Non-
Indigenous-Oriented
etic-to-emic
B
Unilateral
Indigenous
emic-as-etic
D
Bilateral Indigenous-
Oriented
emic-to-etic
A
Unilateral
Non-
Indigenous
etic-as-emic
E
Integrated Interface (Equilibrium
and Transformation)
emic-and-etic
Figure 3. A Macromapping of Paradigms and Theories in Indigenous
Research. Source: Lee and Jacob (2012). 12/16

SWOC Analysis of the WINHEC Accreditation
13/16
Weaknesses Strengths
ChallengesOpportunities• Possible Cooperation
with Government and
Indigenous
Community
• Extension of Concern
on Academia to Social
Practicability
• Lack of Concern on
the Eastern Part of
World (e.g., Minority
Groups in China)
• Possible Inappropriate
Use of Funding
• The Building of
Indigenous Knowledge
System
• The Balance of
Western and Eastern
Disparities
• Indigenized Academic
Accreditation of
WINHEC
• Importance of Elders
in Protecting
Indigenous Knowledge

Discussion
• Positive Transcultural (dynamic-hybrid) Identity, avoid psychological trauma
• Intercultural Sensitivity, Responsiveness, and Transcultural-Critical Praxis
• Paradigms that encourage and enable interface teaching and research require
balance between indigenous methodologies and conventional academic methods
associated with higher education.
• There is room to explore an interface model as an alternative to the imposition
of a single approach.
• In the long term an undifferentiated global model could undermine indigenous
contributions to knowledge development.
• A more strategic goal might be to increase capability:
– A critical mass of indigenous scholars.
– The development of academic centers where teaching and research at the
interface can lead to the creation of new knowledge and the advancement of
indigenous peoples and wider society.
14/16

Conclusion
• Self-determination of education development, academic
autonomy, reconstruction of subjectivity, and indigenous
sustainability becomes advantages.
• Lack of financial resources and legitimately distribution;
lack of multiple representative countries and donors
• Transparency of governance and budget issues
• Reconstruction of indigenous knowledge system,
internationalization and visibility of indigenous higher
education
• Formation of board members is challenged because of
complex/numerous languages.
15/16

W. James Jacob, PhD
Director, IISE
School of Education
University of Pittsburgh
5714 Wesley W. Posvar Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
United States of America
Email: wjacob@pitt.edu
Website: www.iise.pitt.edu/jacob
Che-Wei Lee, MA
Program Coordinator, IISE
School of Education
University of Pittsburgh
5708 Wesley W. Posvar Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
United States of America
Email: CHL138@pitt.edu
Website: www.iise.pitt.edu/lee
Contact Information
16/16Copyright © 2012 by W. James Jacob and Che-Wei Lee

Mapping Indigenous Knowledge in the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium

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