Indigenous Pathways into Social Research ─ Voices of a New Generation

A new generation of indigenous researchers is taking its place in the world of social research in increasing numbers. These scholars provide new insights into communities under the research gaze and offer new ways of knowing to traditional scholarly models. They also move the research community toward more sensitive and collaborative practices. But it comes at a cost. Many in this generation have met with resistance or indifference in their journeys through the academic system and in the halls of power. They also often face ethical quandaries or even strong opposition from their own communities. The life stories in this book present the journeys of over 30 indigenous researchers from six continents and many different disciplines. They show, in their own words, the challenges, paradoxes, and oppression they have faced, their strategies for overcoming them, and how their work has produced more meaningful research and a more just society.

Donna M. Mertens is a Professor in the Department of Educational Foundations and Research at Gallaudet University, where she teaches advanced research methods and program evaluation to deaf and hearing students. She also serves as editor for the Journal of Mixed Methods Research. The primary focus of her work is transformative mixed-methods inquiry in diverse communities that prioritizes ethical implications of research in pursuit of social justice. Her recent books include Program Evaluation Theory to Practice: A Comprehensive Guide, Transformative Research and Evaluation, The Handbook of Social Research Ethics; Research and Evaluation in Education and Psychology: Integrating Diversity with Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods (3rd ed.); Research and Evaluation Methods in Special Education; and Parents and Their Deaf Children: The Early Years. She is widely published in the Journal of Mixed Methods Research, American Journal of Evaluation, American Annals of the Deaf, and Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.

Fiona Cram is the Director of a research, evaluation and training company, Katoa Ltd., in Wellington, New Zealand. She is a Ngati Kahungunu (indigenous tribe of New Zealand) and earned her Ph.D. from the University of Otago. She has held positions in the Departments of Psychology and Education at the University of Auckland and was a Senior Research Fellow in the International Research Institute for Maori and Indigenous Peoples, University of Auckland. Most of her work is with Maori and Iwi (tribal) organizations and NGOs. Her research interests are wide ranging and include Maori health, community development, and research and evaluation ethics.

Bagele Chilisa is an Associate Professor at the University of Botswana where she teachers research methods and evaluation courses. Her recent books include Educational Research: Towards Sustainable Development, Research Methods for Adult Educators in Africa, and Indigenous Research Methodologies. Indigenous Research Methodologies is the first textbook that situates research in a larger, historical, cultural and global context and draws on indigenous knowledge from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, and Asia. Her research focuses on the development of research methodologies that are relevant, context specific and appropriate in African contexts and other culturally complex communities. She writes about and practices research methodologies that make visible the voices of those who continue to supper oppression and discrimination on the basis of sex, race/ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, or social class.