Indigenous Research Methodologies webinar

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Indigenous Research Methodologies webinar

Webinar on Indigenous engagement in research partnerships and knowledge mobilisation

By People's Palace Projects

Date and time

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 07:00 - 10:00 PDT

Location

Online

About this event

On behalf of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), People's Palace Projects (Queen Mary University of London) will be hosting a webinar on Wednesday 24 March between 2-5pm (GMT) on Indigenous engagement in research partnerships and knowledge mobilisation.

Building on previous Indigenous Research Methodologies workshops in Rio de Janeiro 2019 and online in March 2020, this webinar will be an opportunity to address the increasing number of UK-based scholars working transnationally and internationally among Indigenous peoples, ensuring that those who have traditionally been researched become active protagonists in research processes. The webinar aims to inform the international development research community, across disciplines, on challenges when engaging with Indigenous communities whilst ensuring co-production of knowledge and effective knowledge mobilisation, with the potential for broader impact beyond academia, and to help identify areas where good practice is established or additional work is required.

The 3-hour online event will bring together Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers and will be hosted by Professor Paul Heritage (School of English and Drama/QMUL). The webinar will also be an opportunity to learn how Indigenous partners are being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and to draw the agenda for the next webinar in August 2021.

PROGRAMME:

14:00-14:15: - Welcome

14:15-15:00 - Session 1: What are the different challenges for indigenous research in the region you are working?

  • Chair: Teresa Armijos Burneo (University of East Anglia)
  • Gareth Loudon (Cardiff Metropolitan University), Santhosh Kumar (Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, India)
  • Caroline Upton (University of Leicester), Stanley Kimaren (Indigenous Livelihoods Enhancement Partners, Kenya)
  • Tony Crook (University of St Andrews), Kirsten MacLeod (Edinburgh Napier University)

15:10-16:00 - Session 2: Working Groups

  • Chair: Giovanna Fassetta (University of Glasgow)
  • Groups: Global Health and Well-Being / Indigenous Rights, Inequality Reduction, and Minorities’ Inclusion / Sustainable Management of landscapes, ecosystems and biodiversity / Cultural Heritage

16:00-17:00 - Session 3: A Conversation between Simon McBurney and Ailton Krenak (Brazil)

Background

1. International Seminar on Indigenous Engagement, Research Partnerships and Knowledge Mobilisation (Rio de Janeiro, 2019)

In 2018, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) invited current and previous GCRF award holders to bid for funding to produce reflective pieces in conjunction with the Indigenous researchers and communities with which they were working. 12 collaborative projects were selected, and the PIs and Indigenous partners from 10 different countries (Brazil, Colombia, India, Mongolia, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea and Dominica) were brought together at the Indigenous Engagement, Research Partnerships and Knowledge Mobilisation in Rio de Janeiro in March 2019. The seminar looked to explore research partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners, with a particular focus on culturally sensitive knowledge exchange, equitable co-creation and mobilisation for meaningful impact. The 3-day event was hosted by People’s Palace Projects, Queen Mary University of London (PPP, QMUL) and the Indigenous Association of the Kuikuro people in Xingu (AIKAX), on behalf of AHRC and ESRC. There were a wide range of partnerships, approaches and disciplines represented, as well as interdisciplinary discussions, workshops and presentations; the seminar offered a rare opportunity for an open discussion around the opportunities and challenges facing indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers working in this field and the institutions that support them.

The projects and partnerships differed across geographies and disciplines, but there was a consensus that the various research projects sought to legitimise Indigenous knowledge and to challenge issues of social injustice. Despite these intentions, all participants had faced a variety of challenges in the co-design and co-production of research projects between non-Indigenous and Indigenous communities. The group asked themselves what are the rules of the game? How is partnership defined, given the global structural and systematic inequalities around finance, access and the circulation of knowledge? It was agreed vehemently that there is a need to find effective mechanisms of engaging research partners from the global north in a discussion about the meaning of collaboration and partnership in this context.

Resources:

2. Webinar on Indigenous Research Methodologies (online, 2020)

The webinar was an opportunity to address the increasing number of UK-based scholars working transnationally and internationally among Indigenous peoples, to inform the international development research community, across disciplines, on challenges when engaging with Indigenous communities whilst ensuring co-production of knowledge and effective knowledge mobilisation, and to help identify areas where good practice is established or additional work is required. The 2-hour online event brought together 57 participants and was an opportunity to learn how Indigenous partners are being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to draw the agenda for the next events in 2021.

Resources:

3. Indigenous Research Episodes (2021)

The conversations of Rio’s seminar were documented by indigenous filmmaker Takumã Kuikuro and the Kuikuro Cinema Collective and transformed into 9 short episodes available on the playlist Indigenous Research Episodes. The clips offer non-indigenous researchers working in this field insights on challenges when engaging with Indigenous communities whilst ensuring co-production of knowledge and effective knowledge mobilisation, with the potential for broader impact beyond academia.

Resources:

UKRI is committed to ensuring that genuine, equitable partnerships and engagement are embedded within international working. The ongoing learning from this programme will inform future funding calls and activities with GCRF and other International Development programmes.

Organised by

People's Palace Projects co-creates research with academics, artists and activists to advance understanding about the social outcomes of performance, theatre and related artforms. The research is built on partnerships with people and organisations who are asking questions about how art can build resistance, resilience and recovery in the face of adversity. People’s Palace Projects is based in the Drama Department of Queen Mary University of London in the city’s East End, and has worked with a wide range of local communities.

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