Beyond Eurocentrism: Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge in School Science Curricula in Odisha, India

The construction of scientific knowledge in schools is a deeply contested domain, wherein the privileging of Western epistemologies often marginalizes and undermines indigenous knowledge. This paper critically examines the hegemonic status of Western scientific paradigms in the Indian educational system, questioning whose knowledge is legitimized as "scientific" within the formal school curriculum. It explores the colonial legacy and the epistemic violence of imposing Western scientific frameworks, which frequently disregard India's rich, contextual, and indigenous knowledge systems. Taking Odisha, an eastern Indian state, as a case study, this study attempts to unravel the making of scientific knowledge in the curriculum of government schools meant for the students of the primary and secondary schools under the government of Odisha. To understand the questions, the study uses content analysis and in-depth interviews among secondary school students and science teachers. By drawing on postcolonial theory and the sociology of knowledge, the paper argues for a paradigm shift towards including and validating indigenous epistemologies within school curricula. It contends that integrating indigenous knowledge enriches the scientific discourse and democratizes knowledge production, fostering an educational environment that respects cultural diversity and promotes epistemic justice. The epistemic marginalization of indigenous knowledge by the Western and the Brahminical knowledge who do not consider lower castes and Adivasi’s knowledge worth teaching makes students unaware of the rich legacy of India’s ancient and contemporary knowledge traditions. This reconceptualization challenges the Eurocentric biases as well as Brahminical biases in the current science education and calls for a more pluralistic approach to scientific knowledge that reflects India's diverse socio-cultural landscape.