Dialogue of knowledge in addressing the society-nature relationshipNotes for thinking about our practices in the territories

Notes for thinking about our practices in the territories

Abstract

This article revisits the need to foster spaces grounded in the dialogue of knowledges to address problems framed within the society-nature relationship. To do so, it builds upon the concept of civilizational crisis proposed by Enrique Leff (2011), which focuses on modern rationality and the socially hegemonic and legitimized ways of constructing knowledge. From this perspective, it problematizes our role as members of academia and (re)producers of knowledge that, at times, deepen this crisis. In this sense, this document seeks to advocate for the recognition and valorization of the diversity of knowledges constructed by different communities, as a necessary condition for creating spaces of dialogue and transformation of realities. Thus, it presents a theoretical reflection, supported by various references and rooted in both personal and external experiences. First, it discusses the value of diverse knowledges and wisdom(s), which are deeply tied to practice and interaction with nature, inseparable from the landscape, and thus particular, situated, specific, linked to lived experiences, without their holders seeking a separation between feeling and thinking. Then, it outlines key considerations for working from a perspective of dialogue among knowledges within our practices as university scholars engaged in territorial work, taking into account both the potentialities and the power relations that are historically woven around knowledge.