By neglecting the rich values, sophisticated wisdom, techniques, technologies and resources in Indigenous Knowledges, the world has continued to move within a system that reproduces domination, exclusion and marginalization. The limitations inherent in the discourses and practices of development call for paradigm shifts in epistemology, conceptualization, design, and implementation of programs and policies geared toward transformation of society. 

Paradigm shifts require intentionality in recentring the voices and knowledge resources of marginalized groups and Indigenous communities. This international academic conference seeks to center IKS and wise practices from Indigenous ways of being, knowing, and doing across Africa, Canada, and globally. Scholars, practitioners, entrepreneurs, youth leaders, policymakers, and Indigenous Knowledge holders are invited to explore how transformative wise practices in IKS can shape more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable livelihoods across diverse contexts. 

With a comparative lens across communities and continents, the conference will center how Indigenous epistemologies, entrepreneurial practices, and innovations can inform new models of sustainable development, decolonized and Indigenized economies, and (w)holistic well-being.

We welcome academic papers, practice-based insights, case studies, and community-led presentations. Interdisciplinary approaches and collaborative works between scholars and Indigenous communities are strongly encouraged. There will be an Indigenous Makers Market where local Indigenous artisans will display their products for purchase.

We invite papers that address (but not limited to) any of the following themes:

• Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Comparative Epistemologies

• Indigenous Wise Practices: Comparative Perspectives

• Indigenous Economies and Transformation in Postcolonial Societies

• Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Strategies in Indigenous Communities

• Climate Change Adaptation and Environmental Stewardship

• Postcolonialism and Indigenous Knowledge Systems

• Youth and Indigenous Entrepreneurship

• The Epistemological Bases of Indigenous Entrepreneurship

• Women, Youth, and Intergenerational Knowledge Transmission

• Decolonizing Development and the Role of Traditional Institutions

• Indigeneity and Neo-Capitalist Economic Practices

• Wise Practices in Health, Food Systems, and Cultural Heritage

• Indigenous Knowledges, Policy, Governance, and Rights-Based Approaches

• Innovation and Indigenous Technologies

• Diaspora, Identity, and Transnational Indigenous Knowledge Exchange