Understanding Regional Knowledge Systenms

This introduction is designed to equip you with a clear understanding of the core
concepts and terminology that you will come across in this book. The purpose
is for you to have a firm grasp on our specific definition of 'knowledge' and the
-
dual understanding of 'region' both as a physical space and as acultural entity.

Furthermore, the meaning and implicationsof various other crucial terms and
categories used throughout the text will also be clarified - what is meant by
'system' when discussing knowledge systems, and how we use categories like
'ethnicgroups', 'castes'and 'communities'.ogsoabnsl toss)ib szsdt t lsvhu

Definition of Kerala as aRegion aobs llw sw aozso1 2it 09 ansaqolsvsb

A region is generally defined as a landscape that is intelligible geographically,

historically, and politically. All regions need not necessarily share

linguistically
Even
cultural practices such as religion, rituals, rites, customs and traditions.
language could be functionally different due to mutually exclusive dialects.
Still,

SinceMalayalam
there would be a predominant language that binds most dialects.
central to our textbook, it binds
is the predominant language of Kerala, the region
Hence, we can
together most dialects, even the languages of people of the forest.
sense of a
say that Kerala is a politically constituted linguistic state. It is in the
politically defined and delimited space of linguistic identity that we consider
Kerala as a [Link] boeu nosd to sd sdidimo iolgoloqosins n

Geographically, Kerala shows certain physical characteristics of forested hills,

plains, backwaters and the littoral. Historicallyand linguistically this particular

between mala meaning
geographical space was called 'Malayalam' (landscape
hill and alam meaning the sea, i.e., the
land between the hills and the sea) and
the land merging with
"Cheralam' (chermeans merge and alam means the sea, i.e.,
Kerala
the sea). It is from Cheralam that the name Keralam is derived. Popularly,
is mistakenly linked to the Sanskrit word nalikera meaning
coconut. Interestingly,

coconut has become a widespread crop in the region only in the last seven
hundred years. But the name Kerala has been found way back in the Ashokan
Edict of the third century BCE. Similarly,the Dravidian word for coconut is tenkai
2 | Knowledge

the south)
Systems
of Kerala

from which the Malayalam word thenga is derived. A

(fruitfrom other
of the region's name are linguistically unfounded
interpretations
etymological
bound andisolated [Link] Ithas
simply a geographically always had
Kerala isnot
parts of the world. There is no "knowledge' that can be
ofother
linkswith cultures
region as entirely
its own.
own. Conversations and interactions s
between
claimed by any
conceptual fields of different places have always been
the material and taking
manner. Most elements knowledge
of applied one in

placein a non-hierarchical
either as such or piecemeal from other places and sources.
region are borrowed never
knowledge system is
The exact provenance or the place of origins of a given
nature.
identifiable. that sense, every form of knowledge is of a composite
In

itsphysiographically diverse landscane

The people of Kerala have adapted to
over the years involved
ecosystems since times immemorial. Their existence
and knowledge for subsistence and
production and modification of technology
in these different landscapes. Naturally,
their living conditions, ideas
ival

diverse in terms of
institutions, and organisational structures were uneven and
categories such as ethnic
development. For this reason, we will adopt different
in the textbook.
groups', 'communities' and 'castes'

How Do We Define Categories?

Ethnic groups are as people who share a common historical tradition,

defined

language, culture, physical features and identity. This definition is

changes through
anthropological attribution which would eventually undergo
education, acculturation and assimilation. We apply this definition now
discussion knowledge inherited as oral tradition across generations; specifically,
of

in the case of people living in landscape ecosystems like forests

and forest fringes.
and
The anthropological term 'tribe'has not been used due to the largely flexible
acculturated condition of these people. A tribe is more exclusive
and
partially

localised as compared to ethnic groups which are inclusive as well as widespread.

In anthropology,community refers to local people with shared cultural

identity

and a sense of belonging, with common customs, practices and values. They adapt
to new and change accordingly, but continue
material conditions of existence t
believe that the changed life is stillthe tradition. In a generic sense, a communiy
means a group of people with shared norms, practices, values and passios
with some shared identity due to the same locality,residential area, profession
institution and so on. In this textbook, based on the context, we have used
community as an anthropological term as well as in the generic sense.
 Understanding Regional Knowledge Systems |3

The term caste has been used to refer to endogamous groups of people identified
originallyas jatis, linked to hereditary occupation groups.

What is Knowledge? bne nobita

As we have already discussed, development has largely been variable among

people living in different ecosystem landscapes; this has accounted for the variety
in thetypes or forms of their knowledge and technology. It is important,
therefore,

to define knowledge a way that considers people's strategiesof subsistence and

in

survival in an inclusive way.

In the case of people surviving in different landscape ecosystems, knowledge

refers to the skills, understanding, and traditionalwisdom which each generation

acquired
inherits and passes on to the next generation. It is this traditionally
practical knowledge that enables the people to meet everyday challenges
and survive the given environment. Naturally, knowledge in this context
in
is

intimately associated with the locally specificlandscape ecosystem.

Knowledge was through the shaman's perceived connection

often conveyed
to supernatural powers. People revered
Nature in the form of local deities and
at its core, this
practised various magical rites and rituals linked to it. However,
involved the need fora sustainable use of natural resources.
The knowledge held
animals and plants are
by the forestpeople, for instance, included insightsinto how
of communities
interconnected within their ecosystem. Likewise, the knowledge
of sea-life. Hence,
dependent on sea resources revealed the dependent existence
their traditional practices were based on the values of conservation.
oboo

What is Knowledge System?

In the chapters of this textbook, we discuss the Knowledge Systems

of Kerala

(KSK), whích isalso the title of your course. As you may be aware,
at the national

level there is a compulsory course titled

Indian Knowledge System (IKS).This
knowledge contributions
course is a related one that contains all globally noted
of the country. In the present course, there is
no assumption of a hierarchical
world.
relationship between region, nation and the

made up of constituents which are interconnected entities. By

A system is its
of
'knowledge system' we mean a system constituted of interrelated components
knowledge. In the context of this textbook, the constituents of knowledge are not
the usual components that we understand today.
41 Knouledge Systems of Kerala

Whatthe textbook addresses is the

sociopolitical and cultural
knowledge produced and transmitted
over the
knowiedge cannot be understood years, with the dimensions
independent perspectivetha
of the historical,
cultural [Link] is with this definition and
within these political and
textbook seeks to the students understand
help contexts
the distinction that the
and knowledge systems. between
knowledge
What isknowledge, and what constitutes a
knowledge system? To put
knowiedge is what an individual (knower) it
learns andthen uses in simply.
practices. The knoweris their
able to operate in his/her everyday
knowiedge he/she has acquired. communityon the basis ofthe
In this sense,the knower
knowiedge Knowledge is a believes in theacquired
necessity for human
essential for subsistence survival, especially knowledge
and survival. As social beings
nature,humans are gregarious by who
with knowledge that is
live
passed down and shared within
Community. This shared knowledge their
can be a set of beliefs ora
gained from experience. collectionof facts

The term 'system' implies a set of

elements that are In a knowledge system
interrelated and short,
is a
interact within a defined
boundary.
structured framework of concepts,
This principle is applicable to principles, methods and practices
all forms
of knowledge, regardless of through which individuals or
the social communities organise, interpret and
context in which they
emerge. In this apply knowledge within their specific
textbook, we use systems' to social, cultural and historical
describe context.
the different types of It encompasses the processes
knowledge of

produced by people in diverse acquiring, validating, and transmitting

social
contexts and throughout knowledge, and is shaped by the
history. This
is useful because material conditions, social relations,
it helps us understand
how knowledge is structured, and the needs of a particular society or

and applied within different organised group atany giventime.

societies.
A knowledge system is the sum total of the life-related
practices and beliets o
a community, It is built from various interconnected
beliefs and practices thal
have developed in the community over time. For
easier understanding. we group
all these
together as knowledge systems, which are
shared by people in ue
community and passed on from one
generation to the next generation.

Changeand Continuity Coexist

Every community often believes
that even things that have changed
part of their traditional knowledge. over time
Anthropologists, therefore,say that eacn e
 Understanding Regional Knowledge Systems 5

generation actuallyrecreates and reinvents its own version of tradition. Tradition

isalways a mix of things that continue from the past and things that are new. In
thissense, tradition is part of a phenomenon called 'thecoexistence of change and
continuity.

You may wonder how change and continuity can operatesimultaneously. Let us take an
[Link] you enter a garden and meet its caretaker who has asickle to clear the
weeds and thornsalong the [Link] you ask to see it. He hands it to you
of curiosity
saying that it belonged to his great-grandfathers. You refuse to believe him because the
the
sickle's handle looks new. When you ask him about it, he says that he has changed

handle recently. If you point out that the metal does not look very old either, he replies
that he had changed it a couple of [Link], the idea/tradition that the sickle belongs
helps you understand
to his great-grandfathers persists for him. Hopefully, this example
how change and continuity coexist.

Traditional knowledge systems in many communities existed primarily in an

oral form. These communities had formulated and transmitted their knowledge

through spoken words. These spoken words and oral compositions have
coexisted alongside communities that could read and write. While
some of this
communities -
spoken knowledge has been converted into written texts, for other
particularlyethnic communities -the introduction of literacyhas disrupted their

traditionalways of passing down knowledge orally. As a result, their knowledge

systems are yet to be retrieved and turned into written texts. The second chapter
of the textbook deals with this in greater detail.

History and Knowledge

This textbook mostly explores how knowledge was organised

and shared in
written down as it is
societies of the past. Back then, knowledge was not always
of verses, passed
today. Instead, communities often narrated it mostly in the form
down by word of mouth. Sometimes, knowledge was not presented in plain
magical motifs, signs and
language. Instead, it was symbolically represented
in

Even everyday
drawings. Sometimes, it was embedded in beliefs, rites and rituals.
objects that people used could hold and communicate knowledge.
We are going
to take into account all of them.

This textbook seeks to present knowledge systems as they existed in the past,
keeping in mind what experts think and what the present-day user
that,

community inform us of the past might have limitations. Nevertheless, we call

our approach 'historical'; and we use the term 'history'to mean the academic
enterprise of investigating the past to understand it. Throughout history,there is
 of Kerla
61 Knowledge
Systems

fculturallycontingent systems of
of
knowledge,
a widespectrum metaphysical and
ritually entangled as indicated above,

Wecannot understand the history of

framework of gradual
by taking into account how various
knowledge through a
linear progression. Instead, we should
forces at the local, regional,
commonsensical"
understand
and even su
.
continental levels influenced the production of knowledge across different sotin
onomic svstems. It is important to rememberhere that knowledge has never
heena neutral andobjectivetruth; it is related to social relations of power. You will

understand this better when you ask: Who decides what is knowledge and what

isn't? How does something that isn't considered knowledge become knowledge?

Aknowiedge system is embedded within a specific social, cultural and historical context.
Itadapts and evolves response to the materialconditions and relationships within that
in

society. This means that knowledge is not universal but is shaped by the needs,
priorities
and realities of the community or societyproducing it.

In a knowledge might be systematised around religious or

feudal society,
agricultural
principles, while in a capitalist society, it may revolve around
technologicalinnovation
ormarket-driven thought. Yet, in each case,
knowledge is systematised into frameworks
that can be applied, taught and
expanded upon.

Despite vast differencesin social relations

and historical contexts, humans across
societies often think in terms
of systems. For example, a society
might develop a
system of governance, a system of belief
(e.g., religious, ideological), or
system to understand how things
a scientific
work. Even if the content or social
context is
different, the structure of
systems -relationships between
they interact - remains a
components and how
consistent way of thinking and
categorising knowledge.
How knowledge is
organised into
economies develop. This systems changes as societies and their
evolution is shaped by the needs and conditions of
different historical and
social formations. In
this way, the term
theongoing, cumulative 'systems'captures
nature of human
grows and adaptsto its understanding, showinghow
social knowledge
environment.
In different social
formations,
dominant relations of knowledge systems reflect and respond to the
us to production, power and
understand knowledge ideology. The use of 'systems''allows
as
example, in a embedded within the structure of society. For
capitalist society,
aids inthe scientific
production of goods systems might prioritiseknowledge that
systems might be
and services,,whileina socialist society, knowledge
more focused on
collective welfare or
equality. Systems help
 Understanding Regional Knowledge Systems| 7

that knowledge not merely a neutral body of facts but is shaped by the
is

prevailing social relations,reinforcing and being reinforced by them.

A knowledge system does not exist in a vacuum but is deeply influenced by the
economic, political and socialrealities of thetime. Forexample, medieval European
knowledge systems wereshaped by religiousand feudal structures,while modern
scientific systems are influenced by capitalist and industrialdynamics.

It is crucial to understand how science became the dominant form of knowledge and what
factorsmade the Western model of knowledge 'scientific'. To understand knowledge
systems in different parts of the world, we should know the difference between the
Western and Indian models of [Link] oit prnleo

In most cases, thesystems of knowledge atthe regional and national levels are the
same but for the differences in the language. However,
just as European languages
had dominance over Sanskrit,Sanskrit had dominance over regional languages in
shaping how knowledge was structured.

Our textbook adopts a more inclusive and nuanced understanding of the history of
knowledge by focusing on multiple knowledge systems throughout [Link]
implies that the history of knowledge is a complex, multi-dimensional process
that involves the interplay of power, culture,politics and social structures,rather
than a linear development of knowledge through accumulation of facts and ideas
over time.

Historicalknowledge discussed in the textbook is divided into two categories: one

that is embedded the material

in objects and the other explicit in written texts. The

knowledge embedded in material objects include things such as archaeological

relics as well as historical objects of material culture such as tools, implements,
of these
rock-art and artefacts. Chapters Two and Three provide various examples
and explain them in detail.

Chapters Four and Five deal with the knowledge that was written down. The
methods we use to learn about these things and the knowledge we gain from
studying them are part of academic knowledge, and this kind of knowledge
improves over timne through research.

Academic Knowledge gtion oo

What is academic knowledge? How is it different from traditional knowledge?
Academic knowledge is specialised knowledge - systematic, explicit, codified
 8 | KnowledgeSystems of Kerala

and ever-improving. not the

not the empirically
It is
given primary
subsequently constituted knowledge abstracted knowledge, but
out of logical
based on evidence. Academic knowledge generalisations
is widely shared
because of its currently accepted validity. within
academia,

Academic knowledge is different from the common

in a knowledge that everyone
community, even though its usage varies uses
fromindividual to [Link]
people are naturally practical
and use knowledge more intelligently
on the [Link] may just depending
follow what everyone does
Nevertheless, everyone tends to take
without much thought.
this knowledge as inherited
accepts it with outquestioning. In wisdom and
this context, scholars sometimes use
and 'wisdom' as words conveying the knowledge'
same meaning.
People with sharp common sense who can think critically and realistically look
at academic knowledge differently;they want
proof and do not accept wisdom
as self-evident They seek evidence of
truth behind wisdom, before
accepting it.
According to them, wisdom refers to the highest
state of insightful applicationof
truthful knowledge. So, they see
wisdom as a more improved and advanced form
of academic knowledge. Interestingly,
scholars of academic wisdom recognise
that the common wisdom of a community is
superior when it comes to matters of
ecological sustainability,resilience,justiceand ethics.

Have you thought of the process involved in the improvement of

academic
knowledge? It is achieved through a process called research. Knowledge that is
accepted for a while can change; however, it does not change without reason.
Researchers change it in the light of new evidence or when they have a more
logicalexplanation. Karl Popper,a famous Austrian-British philosopher, said that
research is not just about repeating what is already known but about trying
to
refute it through the discovery of fresh evidence ormore refined logic. This is the
-
process of knowing knowledge closely by becoming critically conscious about it
and creatively engaging with it. Thisis how academic knowledge is created and
sometimes replaced.

Research is Inevitable

This historical
approach to knowledge systems seldom
systems or knowledge cultures
intends to explain things with proof or discloses their underlying principles.
However, this does not mean research is not important or [Link],
considers the anthropological contextof a historically given knowledge form with
 Understanding Regional Knowledge Systems 9

|
its own set of dependent [Link] includes their community, vocabulary,
relations and what purpose that knowledge served for them. makes sense Allthis

within their own unique culture. This demands academic knowledge based on
research in anthropology.

It is not part of the anthropological approach to research to decide what criteria should
be followed foridentifying knowledge. We do not want to force our modern definitions of
knowledge onto the past. Of course, sometimes we do see things in past knowledge that
are similar to or even connected to how we understand present-dayknowledge. They are
often instances of scholarly production of codified knowledge by specialists, consciously
engaged out of passionand personalcuriosity. In such cases we see knowledge as codified
texts authored by specialist individuals.

In the case of tacit, embedded, and symbolic knowledge, a significant difference is the
absence of individual authors. This knowledge has only individual users. It is knowledge
produced by the collective and inherited by individuals as its practitioners. Although
individual users add to the traditional knowledge, the additions always merge with the
tradition and become too indistinguishable to be identified with any specific authors.

But then the question arises,who decided what counted as a knowledge system in

the past in thecase of the non-explicit or tacit, embedded and symbolic knowledge?
We can understand by looking at what we know about the subsistence and
this
survival strategies of people in history. We locate knowledge and knowledge
systems in history by understanding the anthropological basis of abstract concepts
like beliefs and concrete practices like material productions in history.

Knowledge systems are interdisciplinary, bringing together insights from

various fields such as philosophy, economics, politics and science, each of them
operating within its own specifichistorical context. The term 'systems' allows us
toacknowledge the interconnectedness of different domains of knowledge, even
as they arise in distinct social and historical contexts. Thiscross-pollination of
ideas between different knowledge systems showshow diverse societies develop
methods to understand, control,or navigate their environments.

The term 'systems' also captures the idea that knowledge is adaptable and
flexible. In different social formations, knowledge systems may be reshaped or
restructured response to changing material conditions or shifts in the social
in

order. For example, scientific knowledge in the pre-industrial era had different
systems of thought than the modern scientificsystems of today.
 of Kerala
10 Knowledge Systems

Textbook
Knowledge Systems and the

Keening in view all this, historically located knowledge systems are presented

without trying to provide a causal explanation for the

as such in the textbook,
that shapedthe nature of theknowled
underlying assumptions and value system
svstem. Hence, the contributors of the textbook have consciously and purposely
reason that it entails value judgement
abstained from analysing such issues forthe
systems of the past.
upon the knowledge and knowledge

The textbook deals with multiple forms of knowledge presupposing plurality,

If plurality involves hierarchy

indeed without any kind of hierarchy or priority.
students curious
and priority, that would imply prejudice. The objective is to make
knowledge types that are intelligible in the cultural
about the multiplicity of
context of the past.

Certain types of knowledge in the past are not amenable to improvement through
research. For example, religious knowledge about the earth, the universe, nature
and the origins of humans. This knowledge is an uncritically accepted faith or
belief. Rituals and rites represent another type of knowledge as many
people have

practised them unguestionably for a long time. But at the same

time, knowledge
based on reason and logicalso existed in the past.

Knowing these systems of knowledge as they had existed and operated is an

exercise involving research too. However, this research does not mean rational
judgement of historicallyexisting knowledge systems. It is irrelevant because the
responsibility is to understand the knowledge as it existed, shared and used by
the people in the past. Hence, the question ofreasoning and critical evaluation of
the knowledge system is irrelevant here.

In short, the goals, purpose and learning outcomes of the knowledge types
develop faculty of research in the minds
discussed in the textbook do not intend to

of the undergraduate students it addresses. At the same time, they are expected
to understand how some forms of knowledge were privileged over others at
different points in history.

The purport of this textbook is not to treat knowledge asa uniformly defined singie
category and treat it as an object of historical [Link], there is no
attemp
at tracing a history of the sequential evolution and development of
knowleB
n the book. Naturally, the chapters do not embody discussion of the system
ol
knowledge in each socio-economic system in its chronological
sequential order
There has always been a coexistence of multiple
systems of knowledge, althoug
 Understanding Regional Knowledge Systems | 11

there was a dominant system every socio-economic system, as is the case

in

today. Indeed, in each socio-economic system, one system of knowledge or the

other prevailed as the dominant one. Therefore, the textbook's focus is on the
coexistence of systems of knowledge rather than the historical evolution of the
dominant system of knowledge. Of course, it is significantto bear in mind that
these knowledge systems were not coeval in terms of their origins.

Chapters

Following this initial introductory chapter, thetextbook deals with the pre-historic
antecedents the second chapter, the intent of which is to trace the beginnings
in

of the production of knowledge, technology and skills. These ancient traces are
not meant to give the impression that there was a historical trend leading to
the elaboration of knowledge systems in Kerala. It does not seek to discuss any
particulartrend in the production of knowledge in Kerala. Instead, it is only aimed
at highlighting how the ancient migrants' adaptation to the difference in the
natural resources and environment compelled the production of new knowledge,
skills, technology and methods.

In the next chapter,the theme is orally transmitted knowledge systems of ethnic

groups such as the tribal people inhabiting forests and forest-fringe areas. We
have already defined what we mean by the expression 'ethnic groups' and in
which context we use it. The knowledge system of this period was not codified
or explicitly articulated. We have to ferret it out from the artefacts wherein it
resides as 'embedded knowledge'. It is this embedded knowledge in art,crafts and
architecture,which we have discussed in the fourth chapter. Likewise, the oral
tradition was composed as written texts at a later period, enabling researchers
to discover the knowledge, techniques and methods embedded in them. This
knowledge is discussed in the fifth chapter.

Although the seventh (Ayurvedic Healthcare System) and eighth ('Logic and
Philosophy) chapters come under the sixth ('Institutionalised Knowledge
Systems') we have dealt with them separately just to avoid imbalances in chapter
[Link] theknowledge translated from various cultures in the nineteenth and
early-twentieth centuries constructed the domain of modern Kerala,
intellectual

forms the last chapter. To a great extent, this translation was a trans-creation
of new knowledge in the regional language, which acquired the dimension of a
movement of modernisation. It introduced various new fields of knowledge and
the method of production of modern knowledge systems.
 Knowledge Systems of
Kerala
12

READINGS

Duncan, Pritchard. What is This Thing Called Knowledge?7 Routledge, 2006.

andTheory of Knowledge Production. Oxford University

Gurukkal, Rajan. History Press, 2019.
[Link],
2002.
Popper, Karl. The Logic of

The Two Fundamental Problems of the Theory of Knowledge. Routledge, 2014

Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate competency to discuss knowledge

Show the ability to recognise and differentiate between different tynes

knowledge.

Understand how to view knowledge systems in a historical perspective.

Understand the meaning and relevance ofresearch in the context of
knowledge
systems of the past.