Jamie Kristel B. Bumanlag:

Decolonizing Knowledge, Decolonizing Social Sciences: Issues, Concerns, & Recommendations

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I. Integration of Concepts and Issues
>>>>>Many forces are at work in rapidly changing societies. Much of what is recorded in books throughout human history talks about Western societies, particularly America and Europe, which include Belgium, France, Great Britain, Greece, Germany and Spain as well. All of these countries were considered as the most influential and powerful civilizations in the world. They are the nations who have gained colonial power and direct political control. They have been successful in exerting greater pressure to the Third World. Their forces continue to complicate the “decolonization of knowledge and the decolonization of the social sciences” in nations who are now independent.

>>>>>Neocolonialism has given large impact on developing areas with special reference to their educational systems and intellectual life (Altbach, 1971: 452). Automation, space exploration, advances in the sciences, changing nature of jobs, and many more varied sources outside of us are only dimly understood by most individuals. But what affects us the most these days is how information and knowledge are being injected to us that contribute to our own attitudes, behavior, values, and beliefs. Issues and problems arise, as we are being held dependent with the different concepts from the West. Such dependence pointed out by S.F. Alatas are on ideas, media of ideas, technology of education, aid for research and as well as teaching, investment in education, and dependence of Third World social scientists on demand in the West for their skills (Alatas, 2003: 604). These social scientists are the ones who do the gathering of data for the West. Because of this, what are originally ours are also the ones who cause us bombardment from within as we meet around with what they have theorized in us. Some of the scholars in our own country who had the opportunity to study in America, who brought along their own culture, have failed to find ways in cultivating and enhancing our own culture because of the Western structures that keep on derailing us so that only their knowledge and skills will be perpetuated (David, p.94). Example of these is the use of psychological tests at school. What’s wrong with this test is that they are standardized. Students answer the same questions in multiple-choice, wherein there should only be one answer. They reinforce test-takers to answer superficial questions that do not require real thought. Such tests assume that people are exposed to white middle-class background.

>>>>>Debate between traditionalists defending liberal education, which invites transcendence from specific backgrounds and personal lives are now being argued by multiculturalists or those who are strong-willed in preserving their own culture and identity. They said that truth should be defined by history and that representativeness is crucial to attain democracy in education (Searle, 1995:227-233). These are opposed to the traditional view of positivism that is always in search for objective truth. Along with these lines, Searle presented further definitions of objectivity. Such distinctions are social facts versus brute facts, ontologically subjective or objective versus epistemologically subjective or objective, and intrinsic versus observer-relative that give clearer understanding that we should learn from where we are, where is our standpoint so as to avoid inaccurate judgments. Now, we can question if standardized tests are really objective. According to C. Schuman, the only objective part of these tests is the scoring. The items include on the test, the wording and content, the determination of the correct answer, choice of test, how the test is administered, and the uses of results are all decisions of subjective human beings.
>>>>> People are always in pursuit of universals. Scholars’ attention has always the high probability or tendency to shift to universals. Although some will consider it as a chance to arrive at objective knowledge, for Alan J. Bishop, it’s a miracle. He said that the conventional wisdom about mathematics, being a culture-free knowledge has been challenged by the fact that people determined degrees of measure and properties. They are humanly constructed so they have cultural history. Rationalism, objectism, power and control have been values, which are associated with western European mathematics that made it as the secret weapon of cultural imperialism (Bishop, 2003:73-74).

II. Recommendations
>>>>> I haven’t learned understanding critical debate until I reached college and became concerned with epistemological issues in social science. Having read and learned the lectures and discussions about the issues stated above in class, I felt somewhat disappointed that my diligence in copying notes and my eagerness to memorize my lessons in Math, Science, and English when I was in grade school and high school have not been enough for me to gain more wisdom with the life in this world. My understanding of knowledge back then were all about reading, writing, and memorizing, which I may now consider empty without critical thinking. They have not been enough because they put me in a shadow of ignorance. I’ve realized that at some point Buddhists are right about their belief that ignorance causes sin because knowing nothing makes a person do nothing. Before, I used to ignore Filipino subjects because I was so conceited that I know everything about it. I also became passive in understanding Philippine History, which include Spanish, Japanese, and American colonization. Now, I suggest that each subject within a curriculum in primary and secondary education should be promoting cultural awareness so that while students are still young, they will learn how to screen out and give more importance on their own culture so that they will learn to accept similarities from other countries, and respect differences as well. Tests should not always be in multiple-choice format for they do not measure the ability to write. Teachers should provide questions about students’ own cultural experiences instead of the English standards that only promote exposure to the experiences of middle class whites.

>>>>>Students and scholars, to succeed in what they attempt must demonstrate progressively higher levels of competence and responsibility. Of course, we still give credits to Western knowledge, which for giving us the opportunity to learn about their environment. But, we should not keep them as our basis to compare the richness of our own culture and achievements. We should rather concentrate and train with what we originally have. And then maybe, we should start asking ourselves if we really need Western studies to secure our own education. Making them as our basis in every aspect of our education, environmental, political, and economic conditions reinforces people to become so fascinated with how big and powerful Western states are. Students should make meaning of what they are doing. Then teachers should take time on giving good evaluation so that information about their students so that it will help them indicate how a student learn or thinks.

>>>>>We, as scholars should do researches as a science of purposeful action so we don’t meet around the bushes and rather break and make them straight. Our task as researchers is to reduce discontinuity of our dependence in knowledge, particularly in the social sciences powers. Our researches should be for the benefit of our own cultures especially of our youth. We have to equip ourselves with the knowledge needed to think through these epistemological issues. We should be wary of such powerful influences that lead to greater persuasion. Because the moment we are persuaded, the more it will be difficult for us to persevere our goals toward decolonization.-