CBPR also places an emphasis on social justice by addressing the social determinants of health. CBPR is less a method than an orientation to research that is more dialogical and egalitarian in its approach. We believe that the attempt to decolonize research is well complemented by a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach. This does not mean researchers should reject all Western methods and theories, as they may be adapted if deemed appropriate and beneficial by the local community. 3 In Smith’s 3 view of decolonizing research, the researcher should center Indigenous values and follow Indigenous protocols. Holding Western beliefs and methods as “the” true science marginalizes Indigenous methods and ways of knowing by denigrating them as folklore or myth. 3,19 It critically examines the underlying assumptions that inform the research and challenges the widely accepted belief that Western methods and ways of knowing are the only objective, true science. 3,9,12,16–18 Decolonizing research is a process for conducting research with Indigenous communities that places Indigenous voices and epistemologies in the center of the research process. In response to what many see as Western academic oppression of Native American communities in the name of science, Indigenous researchers and community partners are increasingly calling for research to be decolonized. 15 This is not distant history rather it characterizes much of present behavior.ĭECOLONIZING RESEARCH AND COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH Many tribal nations have provided accounts of researchers who have exploited tribes by coming in, taking information from tribal members, and providing nothing in return. 14 Past researchers have disempowered communities, imposed stereotypes that reinforced internalized racism, and conducted research that benefited the careers of individual researchers, or even science at large, but brought no tangible benefit to the communities struggling with significant health disparities. From the Indigenous perspectives, both among Native Americans and other Indigenous people such as the Maori, researchers have committed a number of “sins,” as potently defined by Deloria. In both cases, the pattern has been analysis and diagnosis by external observers with minimal or no input of local perspectives, followed by top-down, authoritative prescriptions dictating what the tribes should be doing. The history of health-related research with Native American nations mirrors the troubled relationship between the federal government and the tribes. 13 As we learned and describe in this article, these protocols determine certain research methods and use of theory that may or may not be appropriate. 5 These protocols may have overlap among tribal nations, and may also be local.
The use of Indigenous knowledge is driven by ethical protocols including treating it with respect and care 12 with the acute understanding that it is shared to benefit others. A key point to consider is that gathering data from an Indigenous person does not necessarily indicate that Indigenous knowledge has been gathered.
8 The focus in this article is on the first body of literature.
7,9–11 There is another literature on Indigenous knowledge that comes from the development field to describe, for example, agricultural methods or uses for botanicals that come from local knowledge. 6,8 There is a rich body of literature on Indigenous knowledge written mostly from the perspective of Indigenous people. 5–7 Indigenous knowledge of one population may be useful to another group or in other words, Indigenous knowledge may be generalizable. Indigenous knowledge is often depicted as being alive, in current use, and transmitted orally. The authors of this article are a Native American junior researcher (V. W. S.) and a white researcher with more than 15 years of experience conducting research in Native American communities (S. C.).įor this article, we use the term Indigenous knowledge to describe local, culturally specific knowledge unique to a certain population. We provide implications for future research based on the lessons we learned through this process. 2–4 We use a case study of an intervention research project to exemplify a clash between Western research methodologies and Indigenous methodologies and how we attempted to reach reconciliation. 1 Indigenous communities and researchers have voiced a variety of concerns with “research as usual” and emphasized the value of true partnerships, including decolonizing research to instill a balance between Indigenous and Western frameworks and methods. To change health inequities, researchers have recognized the need to build true partnerships with communities.