Paper short abstract:

We examine trends in TEK usage in contemporary scientific literature. We note tendencies towards essentialism to minimising power relationships. Drawing on anthropological literature, we suggest a mode of partnering and a set of questions for natural scientists seeking to employ TEK to discuss.

Paper long abstract:

Culture and tradition have long been the domains of social science, particularly social/cultural anthropology and various forms of heritage studies. More recently, many natural scientists whose research addresses environmental management have also become interested in traditional ecological knowledge, indigenous and local knowledge, and local environmental knowledge (hereafter TEK), not least because policy-makers and international institutions promote the incorporation of TEK in environmental research, conservation, and management. In this article, we examine trends in TEK usage in contemporary peer-reviewed articles by natural scientists. We identify two patterns within the literature: a tendency towards essentialism and a tendency to minimise power relationships. We argue that scientists whose work reflects these trends might better address these issues by engaging with knowledge from the scientific fields that traditionally are interested in culture and tradition. We suggest a mode of partnering (productive complicity) and a set of questions for natural scientists seeking to employ TEK to discuss: What and/or who is this TEK for? Who and what will benefit from this TEK deployment? How is compensation/credit shared? Does this work give back and/or forward to all those involved?