Open AccessConference on Knowledge across Cultures
Author(s) -
Ebtihaj Al-A‘ali
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
american journal of islam and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2690-3741
pISSN - 2690-3733
DOI - 10.35632/ajis.v10i1.2532
Subject(s) - positivism , sociology , civilization , china , neglect , sociology of scientific knowledge , social knowledge , exposition (narrative) , creativity , social science , realism , epistemology , political science , psychology , social psychology , art , philosophy , literature , law , psychiatry
This conference was organized by the Ontario Institute for Studies inEducation (OISE), Toronto, Canada. Approximately 166 participants,representing various disciplines and different countries, attended theeight plenary and twenty concurrent sessions. Its purpose was to bringtogether Eastern and Western knowledge through culture via an exchangeof ideas and deliberations, an exposition of theories, and an examinationof the contributions of various cultures-mainly China's-to humancivilization.The papers presented and the discussions that ensued were extremelyenlightening and concentrated on the following issues: a) the contributionsmade to knowledge by specific cultures (mainly Chinese, Indian,and Muslim); b) knowledge transferreed from the West to the East doesnot consider the attributes of the East; c) the East is responsible forfinding ways to adapting its cultures to imported knowledge; and d) socialscience knowledge is better generated when social science researchersabandon natural science methodologies (i.e., realism and positivism) andrecognize that the social sciences should be based on qualitative research.There were a few papers on the above-mentioned themes that wereoutstanding. Abdul Rahman, in his "Spheres of Life: Inheritance, Creativity,and Society," emphasized the holistic nature of knowledge. Thisknowledge does not underestimate or neglect the contributions of differentcountries (races) in developing the present (current) civilization.Abdul Rahman indicated that the lack of a holistic view of knowlege atpresent has also led knowledge to be fragmented ...