Between displacement and continuity: African indigenous knowledge systems in capitalist modernity

Abstract

African indigenous knowledge systems face double displacement at the intersections of Western epistemologies and capitalist modernity. This article employs a paremiological lens, drawing on a selection of Shona and Setswana proverbs to conceptualise the resilience of traditional knowledges and practices in a southern African context. The article eclectically cites proverbs that promote versatility and inclusivity to demonstrate the feasibility and necessity of integrating indigenous and Western epistemes and practices, with a specific focus on gender equality and ecological justice. By engaging Homi Bhabha’s concepts of ‘hybridity’ and ‘third space’ alongside decolonial theory, the article argues that adopting such an integrated approach allows indigenous communities to position themselves in an empowering liminal space from which they can mimic, unsettle and reconfigure the coloniser’s culture, aligning with local ontologies and epistemologies. Thus, situated at the intersections of postcolonial theory, decolonial studies and African indigenous knowledge systems, the article aims to demonstrate how indigenous epistemologies not only embody decolonial hope, but also offer alternative ontologies that challenge colonial-capitalist extractive logics and promote planetary solidarity. This would significantly contribute to ongoing debates about the status of African indigenous knowledge systems in contemporary times.