Why Are We Talking Inside

8/13/2019 Why Are We Talking Inside

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Why are we talking inside? 1

Running head: WHY ARE WE TALKING INI!E?

Why Are We Talking Inside?

Re"le#ting $n Traditi$nal E#$l$gi#al Kn$wledge %TEK& and 'anage(ent Resear#h1

Gail White(an

R$tterda( #h$$l $" 'anage(ent) Eras(us *ni+ersity

R$tterda() The Netherlands

The ,$urnal $" 'anage(ent In-uiry

1. %.&) /01/22

1A#kn$wledge(ents: I w$uld like t$ 3ay s3e#ial tri4ute t$ (y 5h! su3er+is$r) Willia( H6 7$$3er) wh$en#$uraged (e t$ take risks and 3ursue (y drea(s while at the sa(e ti(e 3ushing (e "arther than I hadwanted t$ g$6 The genesis $" this arti#le #a(e "r$( hi(6 'any $thers #$ntri4uted in a su4stanti+e way t$this arti#le6 I w$uld als$ like t$ thank 8arry 7$well) 9reddy ,$lly) Lillian !ia($nd) Ri#hard 5rest$n) ,$s8arreir$) Alan Ri#hards$n) Ida 8erger) 'er+ !au4) ,$hn !$wling) N$r(an 'a#Int$sh) 5eter Tayl$r) 9ikret8erkes) 7ar$lyn (art) Lady Tin$r) te+e Tayl$r) '$nika Winn) three an$ny($us re+iewers at theA#ade(y $" 'anage(ent ,$urnal) andra R$4ins$n and tw$ an$ny($us re+iewers at the ,$urnal $"'anage(ent In-uiry6 This arti#le is dedi#ated t$ the #r$w6


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Why are we talking inside? /

A4stra#t

In this arti#le) I utili;e se(i"i#ti$nal dial$gue as a (eans $" re"le#ting u3$n (y

5h! resear#h $n Traditi$nal E#$l$gi#al Kn$wledge %TEK&6 While (y "indings were

ulti(ately 3u4lished in The A#ade(y $" 'anage(ent ,$urnal) the resear#h) de"en#e and

3u4li#ati$n 3r$#ess raised a nu(4er $" interesting issues) in#luding a(4iguities and

(is#$((uni#ati$ns that e(erged when I tried t$ #$((uni#ate and share (y "indings

with a#ade(i# and 4usiness audien#es6 These re"le#ti$ns are 3resented in a #reati+e

se(i"i#ti$nal "$r(at that 3ri+ileges the dial$gi#al 4asis $" Indigen$us $ral traditi$n and

st$rytelling6 8y using this (ediu() I h$3e t$ dee3en $ur understanding and a33re#iati$n

$" TEK as an interesting e#$l$gi#ally e(4edded a33r$a#h t$ (anage(ent and als$ t$

raise and re"le#t u3$n the +alidity and i(3li#ati$ns $" using this ty3e $" ethn$gra3hi#

re3resentati$n within $rgani;ati$nal resear#h6

6


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Why are we talking inside? .

Why Are We Talking Inside?

Re"le#ting $n Traditi$nal E#$l$gi#al Kn$wledge %TEK& and 'anage(ent Resear#h

Introduction

I ($+ed t$ ,a(es 8ay in the 9all $" 1


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Why are we talking inside? F

TEK has 4een des#ri4ed 4y the natural res$ur#es literature as a #u(ulati+e 4$dy

$" kn$wledge and 4elie"s) handed d$wn thr$ugh the generati$ns 4y #ultural trans(issi$n)

a4$ut the relati$nshi3 $" li+ing 4eings %in#luding hu(ans& with $ne an$ther and with their

en+ir$n(ent %8erkes) 1


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Why are we talking inside? =

White(an 1


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Reflections on Methodology, Data Representation

9i#ti$n is like a s3iders we4) atta#hed e+er s$ lightly 3erha3s) 4ut still atta#hed t$ li"e at

all "$ur #$rners6J irginia W$$l" %1


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en#$urages us t$ use n$+els) st$ries) 3lays) s$ngs) 3$e(s and "il(s as legiti(ate $4e#ts

"$r study and as +ehi#les t$ #$n+ey +alua4le $rgani;ati$nal in"$r(ati$n whi#h #an enri#h

$ur "ield6

A dial$gi#al narrati+e a33r$a#h was well suited t$ (y "ield site6 The 7ree are a

st$rytelling #ulture: 3ers$nal narrati+es hel3 de"ine 7ree #ulture) #$n+ey i(3$rtant

in"$r(ati$n) and are a 3ri(ary +ehi#le "$r indi+idual learning %5rest$n) 1


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Why are we talking inside?

where tales "r$( the "ield are ($re ty3i#ally in the realist) i(3ressi$nisti#) $r

#$n"essi$nal genres %+an 'aanen) 1seri$us t$3i# "$r (anage(ent6

A#ade(i#s "r$( $ther "ields already a#kn$wledge the #$(3le(entary 3$wer $"

se(i"i#ti+e "$r(s $" #reati+e e@3ressi$n6 9$r e@a(3le) Agar %1


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Why are we talking inside? talk a4$ut the


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Why are we talking inside? .2

sa(e things in the sa(e ways) 4ut i" they #an "irst a##e3t that there are #ultural

di""eren#es in a33r$a#hes t$ dial$gue) then thats a ste3 in the right dire#ti$n6J

What a4$ut y$u 5i3? !id y$u e@3erien#e this?J asked a #$((ittee (e(4er6

Yes)J she re3lied) I did6 8ut 3erha3s ($st i(3$rtantly) (y e@3erien#es with

the 7ree taught (e a4$ut the need t$ reintegrate hu(ans 4a#k int$ nature6 I learned that

the dualisti# s3lit 4etween (ysel" and nature is n$t a ne#essity 4ut still a dee3ly ingrained

4elie" stru#ture that 3er(eates (y $wn the$reti#al lens e+en as I struggled against it6 As I

end this 3r$e#t) I reali;e that (y 5h! has 4een a +ery 3ers$nali;ed $urney) and a "ight t$

re#a3ture (any $" the things that '$dernity has su33ressed6 The tally(en $" ,a(es 8ay

$""ered (e a 3ath) a (anage(ent a33r$a#h whi#h has hel3ed t$ lead (e $ut $" the

dualis(6J

Rather l$"ty 5i3)J said a +$i#e at the 4a#k6 And what a4$ut gender issues

anyway? The tally(en (ay ha+e hel3ed y$u reintegrate 4a#k int$ nature) 4ut they als$

tried t$ (ake y$u d$ laundryQ What d$ y$u say t$ that? h$uld (ale (anagers 4e in

#harge? Is this e#$l$gi#?

he saw an$ther 3r$"ess$r write d$wn $n his 3a3er B / lashes "$r the 5h!

student6 A $ke 4ut 5i3 didnt like running gauntlets6 he w$ndered i" she was starting t$

l$se the 4attle6 he l$$ked at the e@ternal e@a(iner "r$( 7$rnell6 He was the $nly

Indigen$us 3ers$n in the r$$( and he held her stare "$r what see(ed like a l$ng ti(e6

The #r$w "la33ed her wings n$isily6

I (ean) the tally(ans a33r$a#h is n$t 3er"e#t)J she said) I ad(it that I had a

hard ti(e with the #hau+inis(6 'ay4e TEK #an learn "r$( ad+an#es that Western

(anage(ent has (ade) 3arti#ularly in ter(s $" gender e-uality) $r at least a #riti-ue $"

gender r$les in (anage(ent6J


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Why are we talking inside? .

Cne $" her "ell$w grad students u(3ed in) I" the 7ree arenPt 3er"e#t) why d$ y$u

think we #an 4e? Arent y$u 4eing r$(anti#? h$uldnt this dissertati$n 4e in

anthr$3$l$gy anyway?J

The anthr$3$l$gist s(iled at the idea $" r$(an#e 4ut said n$thing6 5i3 re3lied)

N$6 The 4ush isnt r$(anti#6 Its hard6J 5i3 knew this wasnt (u#h $" an answer6 he

th$ught a4$ut all th$se 4l$$d 3$e(s she had 3u4lished6 he als$ th$ught a4$ut the ti(e

she "ell in the ri+er and nearly died6 he was -uiet "$r a "ew ($(ents6

ensing a dis-uiet in this silen#e) a grad student $""ered her a 4ridge) Y$u kn$w

5i3) hri+asta+a %1


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Why are we talking inside? F

5i3 n$dded enthusiasti#ally6 Yes) yes) !rengs$n %1


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Why are we talking inside? F1

Re"eren#es

Agar) '6 %1


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Why are we talking inside? F/

Ellis) 76 1


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Why are we talking inside? F.

'$$re) '6 %1


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Why are we talking inside? F=

Endn$tes


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1While I a##e3t that all narrati+es are >"i#ti+e t$ s$(e degree) I d$ adhere t$ the 4elie" that there is a

di""eren#e 4etween trying t$ #$n+ey an i(aginary e@3erien#e and trying t$ des#ri4e %h$we+er

ine3tly and thus "i#ti+ely& an >a#tual e@3erien#e6 I a##e3t that (y inter3retati$n $" 4$th $" thesee@3erien#es has "i#ti+e ele(ents) yet #$ntinue t$ di""erentiate l$$sely 4etween the( as >"i#ti$n and

>"a#t6

/

!ial$gue #an 4est 4e read in a h$listi#) 3arti#i3at$ry (anner6 In this s3irit) I ask the reader t$ 4eintera#ti+e B why n$t 3arti#i3ate and write y$ur $wn dial$gue in the (argins $r e(ail the( 4a#k t$(e? E(ail: gwhite(anX"4k6eur6nl

.'y 5h! dissertati$n was held 3artly inside and $utside the 4uilding6 I (ade (y 3resentati$n

$utside in the #$urtyard) under a tree) with the e@a(ining #$((ittee and a #r$w in attendan#e6

A"terwards) we went inside and I addressed -uesti$ns $n the "ield6

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Why Are We Talking Inside