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Nursing Subject Guide

Decolonizing Research

Damage-centred research has been defined as "a persistent trend in research on Native communities, city communities, and other disenfranchised communities" wherein research is consistently focussed on exposing all the ways in which the community is "broken" (Tuck, E. Cited in Transformative Research Toolkit)  - with the ultimate result of defining entire communities and their members in terms of their economic, social and health-related disadvantages.

 

"With their limited scope, aggregate format, deficit focus and decontextualized framework this... (research) narrative cannot, and does not, yield meaningful portraits of...Indigenous lives (Walter M. & Russo, S. in Indigenous Data Sovereignty & Policy).

 

Decolonizing Research

 

 

"Decolonizing research is a process whereby Eurocentric views and methods are decentred and dismantled....Indigenizing research is a process for conducting research with Indigenous communities that places Indigenous voices and epistemologies at the centre of the research process and deliberately works against colonial norms" (Simonds et al, as cited by Hayward et al. Addressing the Need for Indigenous and Decolonized Quantitative Research Methods in Canada).

 

 

Approaches to consider:

 

 

  • Adopt a Strengths-based Approach when planning research projects: "Strengths-based research refers to work that begins 'by analyzing, not the deficits, but the strengths of both individuals and communities… [and aims to] profile potential solutions, positive programs and initiatives taking place in communities'" (FNIGC, cited in Strengths-Based Approaches to Indigenous Research and the Development of Well-Being Indicators).

     
  • Be consciously aware of your Positionality:  "Positionality refers to where one is located in relation to their various social identities (gender, race, class, ethnicity, ability, geographical location etc.); the combination of these identities and their intersections shape how we understand and engage with the world, including our knowledges, perspectives" and research practices (Alcoff. cited by Queen's University.  Positionality Statement).
     
  • Be prepared to welcome Community to the research team. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) opens up traditional research team membership to include community members - who have an equitable role in determining research goals, methodologies, and interpreting the research data collected.
     
    • "The strengths or advantages of CBPR are that it allows for the innovative adaptation of existing resources; explores local knowledge and perceptions; empowers people by considering them as agents who can investigate their own situations ....and helps dismantle the lack of trust communities may exhibit in relation to research" (cited in Dadich et al. What does it mean to conduct participatory research with Indigenous Peoples?).

       
  • Respect and adhere to Canadian and International principles of Indigenous Data Sovereignty.  See more below.

 

Research Ethics Guidelines

At Douglas College, all research involving human participants must be conducted in accordance with the principles laid out by the Tri-Agencies' Panel on Research Ethics (TCPS 2 2022). These principles acknowledge that 

"First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities have unique histories, cultures, and traditions. They also share some core values such as reciprocity – the obligation to give something back in return for gifts received – which they advance as the necessary basis for relationships that can benefit both Indigenous and research communities" (Panel on Research Ethics. TCPS 2 (2022). Chapter 9: Preamble).

 

Negotiating Research Relationships with Inuit Communities:  from the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Nunavut Research Institute, this is an online guide for researchers (PDF).

 

Principles of Ethical Métis Research: from the National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO), this is an online guide for researchers (PDF).

 

Report from The Indigenous Health Research Ethics in Clinical Research Symposium, April 2024: The symposium "included Indigenous community members who are engaged in health research, Indigenous health researchers, trainees, research ethics leaders, and leadership from regional health authorities, the Ministry of Health, and Health Research BC."

 

Indigenous Data Sovereignty

"Existing principles within the open data movement (e.g. FAIR: findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) primarily focus on characteristics of data that will facilitate increased data sharing among entities while ignoring power differentials and historical contexts.

The emphasis on greater data sharing alone creates a tension for Indigenous Peoples who are also asserting greater control over the application and use of Indigenous data and Indigenous Knowledge for collective benefit" (Global Indigenous Data Alliance. CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance).

 

Control & Benefit

 

 

"Data sovereignty refers to a group or individual’s right to control and maintain their own data, which includes the collection, storage, and interpretation of data.

Indigenous data sovereignty refers to the ability for Indigenous peoples to control their data and includes autonomy regarding a variety of data types such as oral traditionals (sic), DNA/genomics, community health data, etc" (National Library of Medicine.  Data Sovereignty).
 

 

Elements of Indigenous Data Sovereignty include:

 

  • Community and individual access to  - and control of - their own data - which includes the ability to determine how data will be safeguarded and who else might be permitted to access the data, when, and for how long.
     
  • Community partners and research participants have an equitable role in setting the direction of the research and determining what "success" looks like.
     
  • Researchers embrace the principle of "collective benefit" -  so that participants and their communities experience tangible benefits from participating in a research project, including financial and other advantages arising from the collection/creation of their own data.
     
  • The research plan and implementation respects the unique histories, values, and traditional ways of sharing knowledge of each community.

 

 

To Learn More See:

 

First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC) - The First Nations Principles of OCAP®
 

Global Indigenous Data Alliance - to learn more about the international CARE Principals of Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility & Ethics

 

Subjects: Nursing