IK: Other Ways of Knowing is an electronic, multidisciplinary
peer-reviewed open access journal that publishes original research articles as well as review
articles in all areas of indigenous knowledge from a global perspective. The journal is
published twice yearly by the Pennsylvania State University Libraries and is co-sponsored by the
Penn State Libraries and the Penn State Interinstitutional Center for Indigenous Knowledge (ICIK).
Indigenous knowledge is an expanding area of study that focuses on the ways of knowing, seeing, and
thinking that are passed down orally from generation to generation. These ways of understanding
reflect thousands of years of experimentation and innovation in topics like agriculture, animal
husbandry, child-rearing practices, education systems, medicine, and natural resource
management—among many other categories.
These ways of knowing are particularly important in the era of globalization, a time in which
indigenous knowledge as intellectual property is taking new significance in the search for answers
to many of the world’s most vexing problems: disease, famine, ethnic conflict, and poverty.
Indigenous knowledge has value, not only for the culture in which it develops but also for
scientists and planners seeking solutions to community problems.
As a forum for the sharing of practical knowledge and wisdom for the benefit of all peoples, this
journal is of special interest to development professionals who treasure this local knowledge,
finding it extremely useful in solving complex problems of health, agriculture, education, and the
environment.