Indigenous knowledge versus Western science : redefining epistemic authority in museums

Abstract

After centuries of complacency, museums have an opportunity to challenge the colonial epistemic hierarchy that has historically privileged Western science as a dominant authority for “truth”. Under Foucault’s power/knowledge theory, museums are one of many institutions that uphold existing power structures by curating and disseminating knowledge. Through two case studies—the London Science Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian—we can examine how different institutions are working to incorporate Indigenous perspectives into their museological practice. The first case focuses on strategies for narrative inclusion, while the latter demonstrates how museums might enact change through structural power redistribution. Ultimately, this evaluation reveals that meaningful decolonization will require museums to move beyond simple representation. To redefine the current epistemic narrative, institutions must position Indigenous knowledge systems as equally credible frameworks as Western science.