More on Challenging the Indian Industry Orthodoxy

There's this entry from The Idea File blog, that contains a little snippet. Speaking of Widdowson's arguments, the blog owner Janet Ajzenstat (Emeritus Professor, Political Science, McMaster University) has this to say:

What bothers me about the position she opposes is the implicit - and often explicit - argument that liberalism/ rationalism/scientific thought is inherently oppressive and imperialist. The practical consequence of this is not only polarization, but also the message given to native people (especially students) that engaging in fields based on rationalist/scientific method is selling out to the oppressor (sorry, “the Other”). They’re not considered “real Indians” if they accept this mindset. And, if they do, they risk “assimilating” their people into mainstream society, which is also racist.

So the real cost of this postcolonial claptrap is the intellectual stagnation of generations of aboriginal students.

Right on!!