BENCHWARMER

North and South views in Schumacher
Ramon S. Dacawi

With its advances in science and technology, the West, for long, has dismissed
indigenous knowledge, beliefs and systems as irrelevant. The western world view has been marked by a feeling of superiority, given its successes in economic well-being that are its mark of civilization.

The “ Old World ” took upon itself to label regions ofits conquest as “The New World” and, in our case, “TheThird World”. More recently, it tagged both as “The South”, a collective reference to underdeveloped, still to be developed or still developing countries, and itself as “The North”.

Paeng Gayaso, who works in advancing cooperatives, narrated how an Indian bristled when he heard a resource speaker use the terms in a forum both were attending. The fellow pointed out that India ’s civilization was flourishing long before Europe itself moved on from its barbaric and medieval stages.

The North’s domination of the South for its resource base meant the imposition of the former’s own systems, in the process destroying traditional and indigenous knowledge and systems. It was only recently that the so-called “civilized world” began to explore indigenous wisdom for its relevance in addressing environmental problems being whipped up by its advances in science and technology. The Old World is taking a closer look at these vanishing systems for their value in achieving “sustainable development”, that label world leaders dished out in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

The issue of domination was discussed by Deborah Bird Rose, an American-Australian anthropologist during a three-week course in March on “Indigenous Peoples and the Natural World” offered by Schumacher College in Devon, United Kingdom. Rose is a Senior Fellow at the Australian National University who has served as adviser in the adjudication of cases involving land rights of Australia ’s Aborigines.

Schumacher College , as it introduces itself, is an international center for ecological studies. It was established in 1991 by Satish Kumar, an Indian who, in his youth, set out on foot to deliver to the leaders of the nuclear world a message for peace. Schumacher was inspired by and named in honor of E.F. Schumacher, the renowned economist who wrote the classic book“Small is Beautiful”.

Schumacher called for “a nobler economics that is not afraid to discuss spirit and conscience, moral purpose and the meaning of life, an economics that aims to educate and elevate people”.

The College, established on a estate in the scenic English countryside, offers a masters degree in holistic science and short courses focusing on globalization, sustainability, alternative development models, ecological perspectives of psychology, spirituality and philosophy, ecological design and technology. Its approach is towards transformation of its students, many of whom emerge with a deeper sense of purpose and clearer direction in their work of trying to bring communities closer to what they should be.

“Schumacher College changes people’s lives. It is a place for reflection and engagement, for the heart and the head, for the individual and the community. Through learning, sharing and celebration it is empowerment in practice, and if for a moment an opportunity presents itself to become a “graduate” of this very different place of learning, then seize it.” – Jonathan Porritt.

The course on indigenous peoples gathered 21 students from Europe, North and South America and Asia , many of whom are development workers attached to non-government organizations involved in advancing the causes of indigenous peoples. Some seized the opportunity, perhaps to find meaning and direction.

Lectures, discussions, film showing, medications and field trips marked the three-week course. In-between, participants did household work, cooking, gardening and meditation.

“Why are we here?,” one student asked at the opening of an evening discussion by the fire. “We are here to celebrate life,” the venerable Kumar answered.

Schumacher College did not issue certificates of completion at the end of the course. The class didn’t mind and no one asked for the document. Given the transforming substance of the experience, they found no need for the paper form. (Next week: The Aboriginal view. e-mail:rdacawi@yahoo.com for comments).