Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples

From the vantage point of the colonized, the term "research" is inextricably linked with European colonialism. Here, an indigenous researcher issues a clarion call for the decolonization of research methods. The book is divided into two parts. In the first, the author critically examines the historical and philosophical base of Western research. Extending the work of Foucault, she explores the intersections of imperialism, knowledge and research. The second part of the book meets the urgent need for literature which validates frustrations with various western paradigms, academic traditions and methodologies. In setting an agenda for planning and implementing indigenous research, the author shows how such programs are part of the wider project of reclaiming control over indigenous ways of knowing and being. This book sets a standard for truly emancipatory research. It brilliantly demonstrates that "when indigenous peoples become the researchers and not merely the researched, the activity of research is transformed".