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Mee$ngAfrica’sChallenges:IndigenousResearchMethodologies,Why,HowandWithWhom
SustainabilityScienceforMee$ngAfrica’sChallenges
StellenboschIns$tuteforAdvancedStudiesBageleChilisaUniversityofBotswana
[email protected] ;[email protected]
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• WhyIndigenousResearchMethodologies• IndigenousResearchParadigm• PlanningindigenousResearch• ChallengesinIRM• Conclusion
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WHYIRM
Howisitpossibletodecolonize(social)researchin/ontheWesterndevelopingcountriestoensurethatpeople’shumancondi$onisnotconstructedthroughWesternhegemonyandideology?Pa$enceElabor–Idemudia(2002:231)
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WHYIRM
Whenanygroupwithinalarge,complexciviliza$onsignificantlydominatesothergroupsforhundredsofyears,thewaysofthedominantgroup,(itsepistemologies,ontologiesandaxiologies),notonlybecomethedominantwaysofthatciviliza$on,butalsothosewaysbecomesodeeplyembeddedthattheytypicallyareseenas‘natural’orappropriatenormsratherthanashistoricallyevolvedsocialconstruc$ons.(JamesJ.ScheurichandMichelleD.Young1997:7)
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TheCap$veMind• Murkherji(2004)challengesallresearcherstodebatewhethertheSocialSciencemethodologiesthatoriginatedintheWestandareindigenoustotheWestarenecessarilyuniversalfortherestoftheworld.Whatisyourreac$ontothechallenge?
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TheCap$veMind• TheMalaysiansociologistSyedHusseinAlatas(2004)developedtheconcept“thecap$vemind”torefertoanuncri$calimita$onofWesternresearchparadigmswithinscien$ficintellectualac$vity.Others(Fanon,1967;Ngugi1986)discussaprocesstheycallcoloniza$onofthemind.
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AfricanRenaissance• TheAfricanRenaissancecallsforAfricanstobasetheirknowledgeproduc$onandprocessesonthecustoms,tradi$onsandlanguagesoftheindigenouspeople,suchastales,mythsandproverbs.
• NgugiwaThiongo(1981)andMazrui(1992)havearguedthatsincecolonial$mesAfricanUniversi$eshaveohenallowedaunidirec$onalborrowingandlendingofWesternculture,literature,paradigms,valuesandidealsthatarenotnecessarilyrelevanttoAfricanSocie$es.
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ResearchandPoli$cswhatweknowandhowweknowisgroundedinshihinganddiversehistoricalhumanprac$ces,poli$cs,andpower.Thereareintheproduc$onofknowledgemul$plecentresofpowerinconstantstruggle;conflict,compromiseandnego$a$onandwhichevergroupisstrongestestablishitsownrulesonwhatcanbeknownandhowitcanbeknown.Anon-powerrelatedtruthgameisnotpossible,thushumanityinstallseachofitsviolencesinasystemofrulesandthusproceedsfromdomina$ontodomina$on(Foucault151.)
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IndigenousResearch
IndigenousResearchApproachesinviteustoproblema$zeresearchanddoingresearch‘asasignificantsiteofthestrugglebetweentheinterestandknowingoftheWestandtheinterestandknowingofthe“Other”(Smith,1999:2).
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Cap$vetoFourResearchParadigms
• Positvist/Postpos$vistParadigm
• Interpre$ve/Construc$vist• Transforma$ve• Pragma$c
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IRMInterrogatetheFollowingQues$ons• Howcanweconductresearchthatimpact
posi$velyonthequalityoflifeofourcommuni$es
• HowcanweconductresearchwithoutusingOnlyWesternacademicconstructsandterminologies?
• Howcanweminimizetheintrusionoftermsinourresearchreportsthatmayculturallyandcontextuallylackcon$ngencywithourexperiences?Canacademiclanguagesaccuratelycommunicateourexperiences?
• Whatisthecontribu$onofourlanguagestothebuildingofindigenousconceptualandtheore$calframeworksandthedesignofinterven$onstoimprovethequalityoflifeofourpeople?
• Whoisreadingourresearchandinwhatandwhoselanguage?
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IndigenousResearchParadigmAFihhParadigm
• Rela$onalOntology
• Rela$onalEpistemology• Rela$onalAxiology
• Rela$onalMethodology• Cosmology:ConnectednessandinterdependenceofallthingsintheUniverse
• TeleologicalAssump$on:Thingsdon’tjusthappen.Thereisanintendedgoalforresearchandintellectualprojectswecarryout
• AfricanThought:AfricanRenewalAfricanRenaissance
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Rela$onalOntology:BeingswithManyConnec$ons
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OntologicalAssump$onsSociallyConstructedReali$esshapedbythesetofmul$pleconnec$onsthathumanbeingshavewiththeenvironment,thecosmos,thelivingandthenon-living
ThereisanemphasisonanI/Werela$onshipasopposedtotheWesternI/Yourela$onshipwithitsemphasisontheindividual.AmongtheBantupeopleofSouthernAfrica,thisprincipleiscapturedunderthephilosophyofubuntu.Communality,collec$vity,socialjus$ce,humanunityandpluralismareimplicitinthisprinciple.Realityimpliesasetofrela$onships
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EpistemologicalAssump$ons• Knowledgeisrela$onal• Knowoneselfbeforeyouknowothers• Itisalltheindigenousknowledgebuiltonrela$ons
• Knowledgeissharedwithallofcrea$on.Itisnotjustinterpersonalrela$onships,orjustwiththeresearchpar$cipants,butitisarela$onshipwithallofcrea$on.Itiswiththecosmos;itiswiththeanimals,withplants,withtheearththatwesharethisknowledge.Itgoesbeyondtheindividual’sknowledgetotheconceptofrela$onalknowledge….youareanswerabletoallyourrela$onswhenyouaredoingresearch.
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Axiology• Requiresresearcherreflexivityinformedbyan“I”“we”rela$onship.
• Ethicalprotocolsthatdrawfromculturalprac$cesinformedbyconnectednessandawebofrela$onshipsthatincludeconnec$onswiththelivingandthenon-living
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IndigenousResearchMethodologies
FamilyofResearchMethodologiesthatdrawfromIndigenousKnowledge,histories,languages,metaphors,worldviews,philosophiesandexperiencesofformercolonizedhistoricallymarginalizedcommuni$estocri$quemainstreammethodologies,challengedeficitthinking,decolonizeandindigenizemainstreammethodologiesand/orenvisionotherwaysofdoingresearch.
Informedbycri$caltheory,postcolonialdiscourses,feministtheories,cri$calrace-specifictheoriesandneo-Marxisttheories
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AfricanWorldviewandMethodology:Caroll2012
• HowdoesthisResearchreflecttheinterdependenceandinterconnectednatureoftheAfricanReality?
• Howdoestheresearchaccommodatethespiritualandmaterialnatureofreality?
• HowdoestheresearchreflectthecommunalnatureoftheAfricanpeople?
• Howdoestheresearchaccessthenon-material;realityofthepeople?
• HowdoestheresearchadvancetheinterestsoftheAfricancommunity?
• HowdoestheresearchcontributetotheAfricanrenaissance?
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ResearchApproaches:Decoloniza$onandIndigeniza$on
• Cri$queliterature,researchapproachusingpostcolonialtheory,cri$caltheory,cri$calracetheory,IKS
• Invokeindigenousknowledgeembodiedinlanguages,proverbs,folktales,storiesculturalexperiencestobringnewtopics,themes,methods,processesandcategoriesofanalysisnoteasilyobtainablefromconven$onalmethods
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Decoloniza$onandIndigeniza$on:IRMalongaCon$nuumScale
LeastIndigenized-Integra$ve-PredominantlyIndigenous
Todecolonizetheresearchmethodologiesistoarguethatpeoplemustentertheworldofscien$ficandscholarlyanalysisfromthepathoftheirhistoricallyandculturallydevelopedperspec$ves.Theseperspec$vesarenotcountertouniversaltruth,butimplyacestheuniversalthroughthewindowofone’spar$cularview(NaimAkbar1991:248)
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AdvancedformofIndigeniza$onofArt
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IRMandTDR• Whyarewedoingtheresearch
• Whowillbenefit?• Whoseresearchisit?• Whowillformulatetheresearchques$ons,decideonthemethodology,thewaythedataisanalyzedandthereportwriqen?
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IRMMethodologies• Par$cipatory,transforma$ve
transcidisciplinaryresearchapproachesthatDrawfromIndigenousknowledgesystems,philosophiesandIdeologies
• Researchersandpar$cipantsarepartners
• Mixedmethodsapproach• TechniquesincludeMethods
basedonethnophilosophyStorytellingmethodsCulturalartefacts;Talkingcircles,theatre/drama,dance,song,language
Ourstoriesareourtheoriesandmethod(MelaineCarter2003:40)Language,myth,truth,ancestralmemory-dance,music-artandscienceprovidethesourcesofknowledge,thecanonsoftruthandthes$mulusstructuresoftruth(MolefeKenteAsante1990:19)
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UsingProverbsandLanguagetoInformConceptualFramework
Easton(2012)Iden$fyingtheEvalua$veImpulsiveinlocalculture:InsightsfromWest-AfricanProverbs
Tsuruta(2006):EconomicconceptsderivedfromSwahiliwords
Muwanga–ZakeJ.W.F(2009):Ubuntuandpar$cipa$veresearchparadigminBantucommuni$es
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UbuntuEthics• Apprecia$onoftheindividual:IndividualConsent
• Researchpartofacomplexwhole:CommunityConsent
• Researchtomaintainharmonyandbalanceofanygroup:groupconsent,familyconsent
• Respectforheritage:Collec$veConsent
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RigorInResearchanIRMPerspec$veStartswithacallforrecogni$onofconceptualtheore$calframeworks,methods,ethicsprotocolsthatarederivedfromtheresearchedframesofreference.
Emphasison• Fairness• Voice• Selfreflexivity• Standpointjudgments• Communityandpar$cipantsasco-designers;co-producersofknowledge
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PlanningResearchUsingIRM
• Whycarryoutresearch?• Willtheresearchbringaboutchangeandtransforma$on?
• Willtheresearchhaveaclearstanceagainstthepoli$cal,academicandmethodologicalimperialismofits$me?
• WilltheresearchtakeastanceagainstWesternarchival-knowledgeanditscolonizingand“othering”ideologies?
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Figure 1: An Indigenous Mixed Methods Approach
Elicitation Phase Pilot Survey Designing the Intervention Testing the Efficacy of the Intervention
TheoreticalLens:
Decolonizingthemind,research,
methodologiesandbuildingrelationships
Indigenousmethods;
Storying,proverbs
Language
OtherQualitativemethods
Interviews
StructuredquestionsaroundTheoryofPlanned
Theoryandculturebasedquestionnaire
PilotSurvey
Determinantsofriskybehaviors
InterventionCurriculum
Content
Activities
Time
QualitativesummativeEvaluationResults:
Individualizedevaluation
reportsthroughpromiseletters
EvaluationMethodsdialogues;
talkingcircles;yarning;
Participatoryrelationshipmethods
EvaluationMethodsPre-testPost-testRandomizedControlTrial
EXPERIMENT
Testingefficacy
EvaluationOutcome
Repeatedmeasuresevaluationresults
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ChallengesinDoingIndigenousResearch• Marginaliza$onandrejec$onof
non-conven$onalmethodsbytheacademy
• S$gma$za$onandmarginaliza$onofIRMbytheAfricanUniversity
• Isola$onandlimitedaccesstoliteratureonIRM
• EthicsReviewboardthatarenotcongruentwithindigenousResearchMethodologies
• UndevelopedpartnershipsbetweenUniversi$esandCommuni$es
• Advancingandgainingacceptanceofa5thParadigm:IndigenousResearchParadigm
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WorkingTogether• Advancingscholarshiponacceptanceofa5thParadigm:IndigenousResearchParadigm:Examples
ShawnWilson2008:ResearchisCeremony
Chilisa2012:IndigenousResearchMethodologies
Caroll2010:AfricanworldView
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Literature:IndigenousResearch
Methodologies
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ConclusionWestandatthethresholdofahistorymarkedbymul$vocality,contestedmeanings,paradigma$ccontroversies,andnewtextualforms.Atsomedistancedownthisconjecturalpath,whenitshistoryiswriqen,wewillfindthatthishasbeentheeraofemancipa$onfrom…coercivenessofTruth,emancipa$onfromhearingonlythevoicesofWesternEurope,emancipa$onfromgenera$onsofsilence,andemancipa$onfromseeingtheworldinonecolor.(EgonGubaandYvonnaLincoln2005:212)
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Conclusion
Therangeofcontemporarycri$caltheoriessuggeststhatitisfromthosewhohavesufferedthesentenceofhistory-subjuga$on,dominance,diaspora,displacementthatwelearnourmostenduringlessonsforlivingandthinking.(HomiBhaba1994:172)
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To Africa
Wecannotinallseriousnessstudyourselvesthroughtheeyesofotherpeople’sassump$ons.Iamnotsayingwemustnotknowwhatothersknoworthinkofus.Iamsayingwemustthinkforourselveslikeothersdoforthemselves
(KwesiPrah1999)