“Indigenous knowledge and Western expertise: a collision for Christian environmental ethics in Tanzania, East Africa” – Erika Dornfeld

In the global south, sustainable development projects and environmental protection programs often rely on western technical expertise. Recently international NGOs have attempted to integrate local indigenous knowledge of landscapes and ecosystems into sustainability projects.

Practically, however, this is a challenge.The problem only increases when a project’s justification or impetus comes from a religious standpoint. In the realm of Christian environmental ethics, traditional indigenous knowledge is often ignored and devalued. In Tanzania specifically, Christians seek to distinguish and separate themselves from more traditional, animist hermeneutics.

This talk will examine the role various forms of knowledge play in environmental conservation projects when undertaken by faith-based groups in Tanzania.

Co-sponsored by the Theology and Ethics Workshop.