Sociology Department, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Human Sciences Research Council, Developmental, Capable & Ethical State (DCES), Pretoria, South Africa.
Health Sociol Rev. 2022 Jul;31(2):158-172. doi: 10.1080/14461242.2022.2079092. Epub 2022 May 29.
Indigenous knowledge systems embody a holistic, inclusive view of the world and foreground interconnectedness for the promotion of life. Through reflective engagement with the author's positioning as an Indigenous researcher, this article explores Indigenous knowledges of sexual, reproductive health and motherhood shared by Basotho women. It draws on the life stories of twenty never-married women and uses decolonial African feminist approaches to challenge the assumed universality of conceptions of sexual and reproductive health that are both deeply embedded and produced within specific relations of power. It illuminates the Indigenous space as an Indigenous knowledge hub purposed to empower Basotho women's sexual and reproductive health. Within this space, Indigenous knowledges and skills are shared amongst women, with the elderly imparting knowledges to the young women. In the context of unsurmountable health disparities, the article shows how Indigenous knowledge-sharing outside the exclusive 'westernised' health systems enables communal support for the well-being of women and children in African contexts. It emphasises the need for inclusive and expansive knowledge production systems not only to better inform equitable health solutions for Indigenous communities but also for epistemic redress in the discipline of Sociology.
本土知识体系体现了一种整体的、包容的世界观，并强调相互联系，以促进生命的发展。本文通过对作者作为本土研究者的定位进行反思性探讨，探讨了巴索托妇女所分享的本土性的性健康、生殖健康和母性知识。它借鉴了二十名从未结婚的女性的生活故事，并运用非殖民化的非洲女权主义方法，挑战了那些深深根植于特定权力关系之中、并被认为具有普遍性的性和生殖健康观念。本文阐明了本土空间作为一个本土知识中心，旨在赋予巴索托妇女的性健康和生殖健康权力。在这个空间中，女性之间分享本土知识和技能，老年人向年轻女性传授知识。在健康差距难以弥合的情况下，本文展示了在排他性的“西方化”卫生系统之外分享本土知识如何使非洲背景下的妇女和儿童能够获得社区支持，从而促进他们的福祉。它强调需要包容性和扩展性的知识生产体系，不仅为本土社区提供公平的卫生解决方案提供信息，而且为社会学学科中的认识论补救提供信息。
