Development has too often failed to deliver on its promises to poor nations. The policies imposed from above by international agencies and state bodies have frequently not met the needs of ordinary people. Development agencies have therefore been searching for some time for alternative approaches. One of those being pioneered is 'indigenous knowledge', which aims to make local voices heard more effectively.
This thought-provoking and challenging collection focuses on how anthropologists can define and use indigenous knowledge in situations where it must meet the demands of development while not compromising anthropological expectations.

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This volume provides a critical examination of the uses and abuses of indigenous knowledge. The contributors focus on a series of interrelated issues in their interrogation of indigenous knowledge and its specific applications within the localized contexts of particular Asian societies and regional cultures.In particular they explore: the problems of translation and mistranslation in the local-global transference of traditional practices and representations of resource management; the match and mismatch of practical reasoning in indigenous subsistence regimes and their depictions by outsiders; and the developmental and political consequences of contemporary ethnic and regional claims rooted in an ideology of "traditional" indigenous knowledge.

There is a revolution happening in the practice of anthropology. A new field of 'indigenous knowledge' is emerging, which aims to make local voices hear and ensure that development initiatives meet the needs of indigenous people. Development and Local Knowledge focuses on two major challenges that arise in the discussion of indigenous knowledge - its proper definition and the methodologies appropriate to the exploitation of local knowledge. These concerns are addressed in a range of ethnographic contexts.

Development agencies have for years been seeking a successful universal response to deprivation. Sparked by controversy and debate, the most recent trend is to look for solutions among 'local' or 'indigenous' populations. Nevertheless, resources continue to be wasted in ill-conceived, centrally-imposed schemes that have not only failed to improve matters in lesser-developed countries but have often made them worse. In such instances it is not local knowledge that is problematic, but development agencies' total misinterpretation of it as just one more 'approach' that can be applied universally. Local knowledge can never be that panacea, because it is not in any sense generic. by illustrating that the potential of local knowledge, in development or elsewhere, can only be achieved through recognition of its essential plurality. Perspectives from leading ethnographers and development professionals on issues such as conservation, agriculture and resource management illustrate that the complexity and cultural specificity of local knowledges can only be accessed via equally diverse theories and methodological approaches. offers ways of advancing the relationship between local knowledge and development, and of furthering anthropology's role in development processes. As a rare example of serious study of local knowledge strategy and its applications, this book illustrates the growing need for real understanding of the issue and its power to assist in positive change.

This thought- provoking and challenging collection focuses on how anthropologists can define and use indigenous knowledge without compromising anthropological expectations.

The first concerted critical examination of the uses and abuses of indigenous knowledge.
The contributors focus on a series of interrelated issues in their interrogation of indigenous knowledge and its specific applications within the localised contexts of particular Asian societies and regional cultures. In particular they explore:
The problems of translation and mistranslation in the local-global transference of traditional practices and representations of resource management. The match and mismatch of practical reasoning in indigenous subsistence regimes and their depictions by outsiders. The developmental and political consequences of contemporary ethnic and regional claims rooted in an ideology of "Traditional " indigenous knowledge.