Settler Research in Indigenous Country

Area of Science:

• Indigenous Studies
• Settler Colonial Studies
• Research Ethics

Background:

• Settler research in Indigenous territories is often extractive and complicit in colonial knowledge production.
• Existing research paradigms struggle with ethical engagement in Indigenous country.
• The Unearthing Justices project highlights Indigenous-led initiatives for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit (MMIWG2S) communities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the ontological and methodological possibilities for settler research within Indigenous country.
• To propose a relational, embodied, and land-based practice of witnessing as an intervention.
• To explore how settler research can be reshaped through accountable collaborations.

Main Methods:

• Drawing on the Unearthing Justices project, a collaborative research initiative.
• Foregrounding a practice of witnessing that is relational, embodied, and land-based.
• Analyzing the inherent tensions and complexities of settler presence in research.

Main Results:

• Settler research requires a fundamental reshaping to move beyond extractive practices.
• A practice of witnessing offers a generative intervention into conventional settler research.
• Accountable collaborations are essential for advancing Indigenous intellectual sovereignty.

Conclusions:

• Settler research cannot operate outside colonial systems; it must be transformed from within.
• The proposed approach invites researchers to engage with the complexities and responsibilities of research in Indigenous country.
• Advancing community-defined justice and Indigenous intellectual sovereignty should guide settler research practices.