Reflections

by Pushpa Iyer, Director

One should have a thirst for knowledge – an oft-repeated refrain that graduate students are used to hearing. In the world of academia, not having a thirst for knowledge stagnates you both as a professional and as a person. It is impossible to be in the “business” of knowledge acquisition and dissemination, if one is not constantly seeking out new knowledge or refining knowledge. In practice, not having a thirst for knowledge has the devastating effect of public failure and causing harm.

In many ways, this thirst for knowledge is not different from the “other” thirst we all have as human beings – a thirst that can only be satisfied by drinking water. Just as we need water for the healthy functioning of our body systems, we need knowledge to thrive as social agents of change – a responsibility that most in the field of conflict studies would adopt.

Unlike water, knowledge is not necessarily a scarce resource but like water, the control of knowledge is contested and often power dynamics determines who holds and spreads knowledge. The constant fight for control of water (including privatization) is not different from the way those in this business work to acquire knowledge and then control it by putting their name to it and copyrighting the material. Knowledge, like water, is not always a public good.

Access to knowledge, like access to water is therefore not natural. One needs to work on systems and processes that can facilitate both access to knowledge and the tools for knowledge gathering. And just as we may need to travel long paths to gather water, so too with data gathering, we may need to travel the long road to access knowledge. More importantly, just as there are many sources of water, knowledge too comes from many sources and not each of those sources can sustain life or professions. Taking short cuts often means either no knowledge (like no water) or poor knowledge (like sub-standard water quality).

Speaking of which, just as water quality is a matter of concern, with knowledge too quality is crucial. Especially in today’s world where there are often all kinds of information available at the tip of your fingers, it becomes imperative to sift through it to identify “real” knowledge from the more pedestrian and therefore untreated knowledge.

And just as industries, the atmosphere, and human beings pollute water, so also a variety of factors tarnish knowledge. Biases, data manipulation, wrong methods and tools all contribute to knowledge becoming impure. Added to all this is the fast-paced nature of knowledge acquisition. The world we live in today is constantly changing; various actors employ extreme violence that precipitates catastrophes at every turn. Knowledge is definitely a casualty in these situations simply because it is incredibly hard to find space and time to gather knowledge in such a skewed environment. This is no different from the impact global warming has on the environment and water, making it impossible to get a clear picture of the state of water resources in the near future or at least to have many disputed pictures of reality.

And lastly, just as we must pay attention to wetlands – areas where water is collected and rejuvenated – in the same way we need a wetland for knowledge, and part of our responsibility, as social scientists, is to work towards the creation and maintenance of knowledge wetlands.

Knowledge is as precious, as crucial, as water is for us to lead a healthy life. Water is a basic need, without which human beings will die and similarly without knowledge, a human being will no longer exist in a community’s social order.

In order to be true to our profession, every one of us – student, scholar, and practitioner – must first acknowledge that we are in the occupation of accumulating and spreading knowledge. In the field of conflict studies, every professional is constantly and securely engaged in the act of gathering knowledge, so much so that knowledge acquisition and dissemination is its own sub-profession. For knowledge is what equips us to assess the situation and intervene. Imperfect (polluted), difficult to lay hands on (lack of access), controlled (power over) and conflicted origins (impacting supply) of knowledge requires that we need to be trained in the processes and methods of collecting (sources), analyzing (treatment) and reporting (providing) knowledge.

Academia and the practical world teach these methods and processes and the necessary skills – skills that can be learnt – to deal with knowledge. However, none of this will be of value unless there is a natural thirst for knowledge that constantly needs to be quenched with innovation and curiosity. It must be as natural as thirsting for water and it must be as basic as needing it for survival. Complacency and incompetency in dealing with knowledge can have disastrous consequences for any professional. And what is natural cannot be taught.

Question knowledge, look for more knowledge, respect knowledge but also challenge knowledge, build knowledge, share knowledge but most importantly thirst for knowledge.