Journey of an outsider: in search of a respectful research protocol with First Nations (original) (raw)
Related papers
Guiding principles for indigenous research practices
Action Research, 2016
Based upon expansions of indigenous research methodologies in the literature, researchers are encouraged to understand indigenous research conceptualization and implementation within various communities. The purpose of this review is to outline six tenets or principles that are intended to engage researchers in practices that privilege the voices and goals of indigenous populations: indigenous identity development; indigenous paradigmatic lens; reflexivity and power sharing; critical immersion; participation and accountability; and methodological flexibility. Future research directions for expanding and operationalizing principles of indigenous research practices are also provided.
International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership
Indigenous research methodologies articulate how researchers and Aboriginal communities engage in research together. These methodologies are informed by Indigenous cultural and ethical frameworks specific to the Nations with whom the research is being conducted. This study explores how such research relationships were articulated in the dissemination phase of research. We carried out an Indigenous qualitative content analysis of 79 peer-reviewed articles published January 1996 to June 2018, predominantly in the fields of social sciences. Our findings show that most articles were written by Indigenous researchers or a research team composed of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers. Such collaborations articulated the principles of Indigenous methodology (IM) much clearer than those authored by non-Indigenous scholars or when partnerships with Indigenous communities were less evident with respect to the principles guiding the research process. The principles of IM that were manife...
Non-Indigenous Researchers in Indigenous Contexts.
Canadian Journal of Educational and Social Studies, 2023
Indigenous peoples have been historically othered by non-Indigenous researchers who used to devalue their ways of being, undermine their worldviews, and send their children to residential schools to be deculturated from their Indigeneity. As a result, a mistrust has been created among Indigenous communities towards non-Indigenous research and its lack of consent from their participants. This, however, has been changing, and researchers increasingly explore other ways of knowing in higher education and establish their research from the lens of their Indigenous participants. Although it is the right path to take, there are challenges that non-Indigenous scholars encounter when they conduct research in such contexts. This paper aims to highlight such challenges and groups them under research methodologies, worldviews, and participants in the hopes of helping like-minded researchers keen on exploring other ways of knowing.
The Impact of Conducting Research with a First Nation
Canadian Journal of Counselling , 2000
The Cree of northern Québec have had eight psychological studies conducted in their territory. They ejected all the researchers except one. From the point of view of the Cree, the problem appears to be one of behaviour of researchers and respect for an autonomous group. This issue was investigated by conducting an experiment with a group of James Bay Cree from northern Quebéc. They were then polled as to their reaction to participating in the research. Insensitively conducted research can put major social stresses on both individuals and the community. Several crucial sources of reactivity were found: rigid protocols, requests for self-disclosure, perceived dishonesty, differential treatment of participants, and lack of redeeming social value of the research. These sources of reactivity suggest guidelines for researchers such as respecting local authority, adapting instruments to the culture, and providing feedback to the participants and the community.
Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal, 2020
Guest editorial Editors' note on special issue on indigenous knowledges, priorities and processes in qualitative research Though scholarship on Indigenous organizations, practices and methodologies is rapidly growing alongside the burgeoning sub-discipline of Indigenous business and management, such research is not often reported in "mainstream journals." Rather, the research is commonly concentrated in Indigenous-or ethnic-focused journals. Recognizing the importance of these topics for all scholars, the editors of the journal of Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management invited us (the guest editors) to conceive of a special issue that would enable qualitative researchers and organizational management scholars to engage with the richness of Indigenous ways of knowing and the innovations resulting from methodologies that honour centuries-old knowledge and wisdom. As researchers of Indigenous organizations, management and policy, we called for a special issue that would bring Indigenous knowledges and methodologies to the broader discussion of qualitative methods in organizations and management. During the past decades, there have been important contributions to qualitative research methodologies for research in Indigenous contexts. Alongside the emergence of Indigenous ethics review boards in institutions, scholars have suggested ethical frameworks for research with Indigenous peoples (e.g. Ellis and Earley, 2006 on issues of consent and reciprocity). Increasingly, researchers are engaging in applied research that is useful to the communities involved, employing action research methods to solve problems (see Carpenter and McMurchy-Pilkington, 2008). Relationships between researchers and research participants are being challenged and redefined, empowering Indigenous peoples to collect, analyze, interpret and control research data instead of participating in projects as "subjects" (see Tomlins Jahnke and Gillies, 2012). Indigenous ways of knowing, embedded in oral traditions, are informing research design and implementation, as well as the communication of research results, for example, through digital storytelling (Cunsolo-Willox et al., 2012; Wachowich and Scobie, 2010; Marsh, 2009). These shifting orientations and approaches respond to calls by Indigenous advocates and communities for the decolonization of institutions of higher education and research methodologies employed by academics in their work with Indigenous
Conducting research with Indigenous people and communities
2013
Past critiques of the social sciences focused primarily on the identity of the researcher and his or her relationship with the ‘subject’ Indigenous person, but over time more sophisticated and practical approaches have emerged related to participantfocused methodologies and design. More specifically, past research involving Indigenous people has been criticised as inherently biased and disempowering (Henry et al 2004; Davey and Day 2008; Kidman 2007; Sherwood 2010). Recent responses that seek to improve all forms of research practice involving Indigenous people in Australia and internationally, include funding for Indigenous-specific research institutes, dedicated funding for Indigenous academics and research networks, and ethical guidelines. Some of the most interesting and substantial Indigenous-led or informed research that has emerged in the past 20 years has often related to health, although such innovative approaches remain under-developed in the criminological domain. Today, ...
2013
The use of indigenous research ethics has a possibility of contextualising indigenous research. Orthodox research is guided by ethical principles which are meant to protect the institution or researcher and the participants. Despite the existence of the ethical pronouncements, literature has shown that research has proven to be a source of distress for indigenous people. Research has historically drawn upon frameworks, processes and practices of colonial, Western worldviews and the inherent knowledge, methods, morals and beliefs (Martin, 2001). This has led to the perceived notion of insensitivity towards indigenous people. First, they are not only regarded as a "problem" to be solved by external experts, they are treated as passive "objects" that require assistance from external experts. In view of these arguments one can deduce that the orthodox research methods have somehow failed to uphold the contextuality of research methods. Stemming from the incompatibility between orthodox research methods and the indigenous milieu has been the predominantly negative indigenous experience of research which has resulted in not only sceptism towards researchers but also to research processes and outcomes. For instance, indigenous people are on record saying, "researchers are like mosquitoes; they suck your blood and leave". The umbrage has prompted robust calls from indigenous scholars and research ethicists to develop new paradigms of research that have a decolonizing agenda upholding Indigenous ethical archetype. This being a concept the article utilised descriptive and analytical approaches to examine how the indigenous research ethical modus operandi can be a lever to contextualize research. The article concludes by positing that to lessen the skepticism of indigenous peoples cultural sensitivity should be embodied in ethical considerations to negate any dilemmas. Further it avers that in the application of research methods ethical principles such as informed consent should not be taken at face value, but should be considered at a deeper level.
Preparing to be Allies: Narratives of Non-Indigenous Researchers Working in Indigenous Contexts
2018
Insensitive research approaches have resulted in damaged relationships between non-Indigenous researchers and Indigenous communities, prompting scholars and funding agencies to call for more culturally compatible research methods. This paper addresses the qualities, skills and knowledge developed by six non-Indigenous researchers as they built–and continue to maintain–respectful research relationships with Indigenous communities. Also discussed are the important formative experiences that have shaped the six researchers in their ongoing work. Findings presented in this paper are synthesized from a larger research project undertaken using narrative approaches to data collection and analysis. Des approches de recherche insensibles ont nuit aux relations entre les chercheurs non autochtones et les communautés autochtones, ce qui a incité les universitaires et les organismes de financement à exiger des méthodes de recherche plus respectueuses et mieux adaptées aux cultures. Cet article ...
Kwame, A. (2017) Reflexivity in indigenous research.pdf
Abstract This article is a contribution to the ongoing discussions on who should conduct indigenous research and problematizes the notion of insider/outsider discourse in indigenous research. Drawing on my personal experiences in the form of case studies, I argue that self-locating in indigenous research is complex given that researcher self-positioning is not normally done by the researcher but through a process of negotiation with the participants. I argue that insofar as indigenous peoples, communities and problems are not islands onto themselves, immune to the current global flows, processes and barriers, indigenous research cannot be reserved only for indigenous scholars and peoples. Instead, I propose a reflexive researching model as a research framework which should be incorporated into an indigenous research methodology which both indigenous and allied non-indigenous researchers could draw upon. This demands a reflexive practice that is guided by the philosophical underpinnings of the indigenous research paradigm.