Suzanne Moon, review of Zapotec Science, by Roberto Gonzalez, Technology and Culture 43, no. 3 (July 2002): 623-625.
Annotations
A commentary on terminological considerations surrounding science, traditional environmental knowledge, indigenous science, etc. Appropriate material for the taxonomic debate about Western and non-Western epistemology.
Notes
- 624 – “Should these practices be called ‘science’? Gonzalez explains that he appropriates that prestige-laden term in order to restore the dignity of local knowledge practices, putting them rightfully on par with the practices of Western science. His defense is thoughtful and provocative, if not entirely convincing, and one sympathizes with his political concerns. Yet, by emptying the term of its history, he threatens to make ‘science’ include everything and explain nothing without providing a perspective on the biases of conventional science and the subtle differences between many knowledge-making practices around the world.”
