Abstract
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are the basis for social appropriation in local communities. ICTs hold significant potential for positive benefits for local communities to deal with ‘digital’ connectivity and global knowledge contexts. With the digitalisation of knowledge, including indigenous knowledge (IK), ICTs are offering alternative perspectives of knowledge in the global information society. However, sometimes ICTs are ill-equipped to handle context-dependent cultural knowledge since there is a difference between how Westernised cultures and indigenous cultures view data, information and knowledge. This shortcoming may lead to digital preservation challenges. In this article, we discuss some challenges faced by ICTs for IK preservation.
Introduction
In the emerging discipline of Community Informatics (CI), Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are the basis for social appropriation in local communities. ICTs hold significant potential for positive benefits for local communities to deal with ‘digital’ connectivity and global knowledge contexts. With the digitalisation of knowledge, including indigenous knowledge (IK), ICTs are offering alternative perspectives of knowledge in the global information society. IK is intricate knowledge acquired over generations by communities as they interact with the environment (Seepe, 2001). Like any other knowledge, IK needs to be constantly used, challenged and further adapted to the evolving local contexts in the global information society. However, sometimes “ICTs are ill-equipped to handle … context-dependent cultural knowledge since there is a difference between how Westernised cultures and Indigenous cultures view fact and knowledge … and information and understanding” (Oppenneer, 2010). This shortcoming may lead to digital preservation challenges. In this article, some challenges faced by ICTs for IK preservation are discussed.
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