Indigenous Research Methods

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. Twelve collaborative projects were selected, and the Principal Investigators 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 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.

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.

The second webinar was an opportunity to bring together indigenous and non-indigenous researchers to discuss the challenges for indigenous research in different regions and fields of knowledge. The event also hosted a conversation between Simon McBurney (Complicité Theatre) and Ailton Krenak (leader of the Krenak people, Brazil).

The final report of these series of events was launched online, due to the pandemic. People’s Palace Projects organised six live talks translated to English, Spanish and Portuguese.The events are available on our Youtube Channel

In addition to the events, PPP brought two Indigenous video installations to Queen Mary University of London Mile End campus.

This was the programme

Indigenous women activists from Latin America discuss present and future challenges brought about by the climate crisis, as well as the central role they play in fighting for climate justice. With Liliana Armero (Colombia), Samela Awiá (Brazil), Patricia Gualinga (Ecuador), Ketty Marcelo (Peru), Iokiñe Rodriguez (University of East Anglia), and Paul Heritage(PPP).

Online on youtube.com/PeoplesPalaceProjects(Live translations in English, Portuguese, and Spanish) Challenges in

An online listening session curated by Indigenous activist Shirley Djukurnã Krenak (Brazil), sound artist Nathaniel Mann (UK), and Thiago Jesus (PPP). The session presented aspects of healing via the sounds produced by the land, the culture, and some aspects of the ancestry of the Krenak people.