Week 8 - Kimberly Pariyavanh

While reading the end of the article, “Earth song as storywork: Reclaiming Indigenous knowledges”, I was reminded of our class: ASA 189E Spirit Realm. The authors write that with their curriculum, there was difficulty in finding space for it in academia. They needed to create their own space although in academia it would not be considered logical. I was reminded of our own class because I never thought I would be taking a class that was dedicated to the spirit realm. By having various discussions in class and also reading this article, I am reminded that being in college and spaces of academia, there are certain topics that get filtered out. I am wondering what is considered “knowledge” that is acceptable in academia and why? Who gets to decide?

I thought this article was an overall refreshing read. I do not have much knowledge on indigenous communities and so it was insightful to read what songs meant to the authors. It was inspiring to read that the authors wanted to ensure that they create a space where student voices were not silenced because they understood what it meant to be silenced. I think with classes or subjects that are thought of as “not logical”, those are sometimes the spaces that allow different voices to be heard.

Question: Why are certain topics filtered in academia?