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Research On vs. Research With: 21st-Century Cross-Cultural Collaboration and American Indian Education

2019; Volume: 29; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/gpr.2019.0002

2334-2463

Vanessa Hamilton, Carlton LeCount, Nicole Parker Cariaga, Kristine Sudbeck,

Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy

Given the historical trends of research that dehumanizes Native America, the methodological approach and research methods one uses to conduct research can be far more important than the outcome. As four middle-aged (30s–40s) scholars, Natives and Non-Native, male and females, serving a tribal college located in the center of the Great Plains, we argue for "collaboration despite colonialism" by utilizing critical researcher reflexivity as a tool to examine one's positionality in the study. We illustrate this process by sharing our own personal identities and lived experiences, acknowledging the privileges we may or may not have. We analyze our own tribal college's Institutional Review Board (IRB) processes and affirm that researchers working with and for Indigenous peoples should seek culturally congruent research methodologies. Further, we challenge others to ensure that institutional ethics support cross-cultural collaborative research methods as the new norm. This has implications for a variety of stakeholders in American Indian education and provides a learning opportunity about the places we inhabit and the nature and cultures tied to this space over time. In addition, we hope this article will serve as a guide for those interested in conducting research with Indigenous communities, as well as other minoritized populations.