TOWARDS DECONSTRUCTING COLONIAL REALITY: ASSERTING OUR SPACE IN SOCIAL WORK KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION

Since the enlightenment period in Europe, western
ontology of authentic truth has dominated in comprehending,
explaining and evaluating everything from the reality of history to
the truth of human consciousness. It is seen as part of an on-going
process of civilisation and which is free from political attachment.
Until recently, knowledge that is produced outside the western
framework of rationality and reason has been acknowledged but
not considered to be at par with it. Indigenous epistemologies
are sanctioned only if the scholarly work is concomitant with
spirituality or constructed as a symbolic truth rather than literal.
From the post meta-narration notion, truth is subjective and
it is significant to understand its construct, to historicise and
contextualise knowledge. Celebrating diversity and appreciating
differences has become fundamental in today’s world. The paper
presents the limitation of western framework in explaining
indigenous content where indigenous epistemology is needed to
reify realities. It will also discuss the power relations within the
academics where such an alternative is still struggling to establish
in the mainstream platform. The paper will also critique the
content of social work education in Northeast, India, which has
been constructed from the western philosophical thought, where
it replicates a foreign institution, introduced by European settlers
on the notion of colonialism. Lastly, the paper will attempt to
explore frameworks in understanding indigenous social realities.