Book Review: Merriam, S. B., & Associates. (2007). Non-Western Perspectives on Learning and Knowing. Malabar, FL: Krieger

Abstract

This book supports our understanding of non-Western perspectives of learning and knowing because it is thought-provoking, engaging, and useful for training instructors, instructional developers, adult educators, and employees in the global multicultural workplace. The organization of the book enables readers to select sections that are most useful, according to their interests. With continued globalization, this book is a must read for a diverse variety of adult educators and practitioners who could enhance their practice through understanding these perspectives.The introductory chapter makes a strong argument for the need for adult educators and practitioners to understand non-Western perspectives of learning and knowing. Western and non-Western are clarified as two epistemological systems and are distinguished in terms of focus (individualism promotion vs. collectivism and interdependence promotion), knowledge construction, nature of knowledge (in parts vs. whole), and the transmission of knowledge (teacher-student relationship).In Chapter 2, fundamental differences between Western and Islamic paradigms are highlighted, showing the purpose of knowledge, learning methodology, communal obligation, and the teacher-student relationship. Both Western and Islamic paradigms treat learning as a lifelong mission and consider the written word as an authentic source of knowledge.Chapters 3, 4, and 5 all discuss the importance of narrative as a major tool for teaching and learning, which is remarkably distinct from the Western paradigm, across American Indian pedagogy, Hinduism, and Maori concepts of learning, respectively. The unity and connectedness within these perspectives holistically surrounds the concept of life, which is atypical of the traditional Western learning paradigms. This concept of connectedness promotes harmony in the American Indian society, elevates the learner to a spiritual being in the Hindu tradition, and integrates the learner into "larger frameworks of meaning" (p. 86) in the Maori tradition. The