Indigenous Methods

Abstract

Indigenous methodology is defined as research by and for Indigenous peoples that reflects indigenous knowledges, cultures, values, and beliefs. This entry on indigenous methods first examines the international recognition of indigenous peoples as indigenous. This is followed by a section that explores arguments about knowledges and worldviews specific to indigenous peoples and different from Western, colonial, and oppressive perspectives. This offers an introduction to the next section, which explores indigenous methods as deeply rooted in traditions and local ways of life and the epistemologies and knowledge claims of indigenous peoples. This section also highlights a variety of qualitative methods described as indigenous and with names that refer to everyday indigenous ways of being. Notably, indigenous methods include the use of digital technology alone or in combination with other methods. Indigenous research accentuates the collective history of pain arising from experiences of colonisation, which can promote the empathy required to build alliances across peoples and regions. As emphasised throughout this entry, indigenous methods ultimately aim to promote the social justice and independence of previously marginalised peoples. The final section of this entry addresses some criticism of indigenous research and methods.

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