''Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples'' is a book by
Linda Tuhiwai Smith. Originally published in 1999, ''Decolonizing Methodologies'' is a foundational text in Indigenous studies that explores the intersections of colonialism and research methodologies.
Summary
The book begins with the line "The word itself, 'research', is probably one of the dirtiest words in the indigenous world's vocabulary." Smith contends that Western paradigms of research are "inextricably linked to European imperialism and colonialism."
Smith concludes the book by articulating how she believes Kaupapa Māori research methods could be implemented.
Impact and reception
''Decolonizing Methodologies'' offers a vision of kaupapa Māori research that has been enormously influential.
Ranginui Walker
Ranginui Joseph Isaac Walker (1 March 1932 – 29 February 2016) was an influential New Zealand academic, author, and activist of Māori and Lebanese descent. "I think he was ''the'' Māori commentator for a very long period," his biographer, ...
described the book as "a dynamic interpretation of power relations of domination, struggle and emancipation".
Laurie Anne Whitt praised the book as a "powerful critique of dominant research methodologies."
New Zealand historian
Peter Munz
Peter Munz (12 May 1921 – 14 October 2006) was a philosopher and historian, Professor of the Victoria University of Wellington; among the major influences on his work were Karl Popper and Ludwig Wittgenstein. Munz is one of two students who stu ...
decried the book's political agenda, noting "what the author calls “colonising” research amounts to nothing more than subjecting a culture’s parochial self-image to critical scrutiny. Such research is emancipatory in the sense that it is likely to weaken old habits and beliefs and encourage the parochial society’s smooth transition into a wider, possibly global, community. To call it “colonising” is nothing less than emotional politics".
In 2021 the Spanish translation of the book, ''A descolonizar metodologías'', published by
LOM was brought by
Elisa Loncón to the "plurinational library" of the
Constitutional Convention of Chile.
See also
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Critical theory
A critical theory is any approach to social philosophy that focuses on society and culture to reveal, critique and challenge power structures. With roots in sociology and literary criticism, it argues that social problems stem more from s ...
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Decolonization
Decolonization or decolonisation is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. Some scholars of decolonization focus especially on separatism, in ...
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Decolonization of knowledge
Decolonization of knowledge (also epistemic decolonization or epistemological decolonization) is a concept advanced in decolonial scholarship that critiques the perceived hegemony of Western knowledge systems. It seeks to construct and legitim ...
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Tikanga Māori
Tikanga is a Māori concept incorporating practices and values from mātauranga Māori, Māori knowledge. Tikanga is translated into the English language with a wide range of meanings — culture, custom, ethic, etiquette, fashion, formal ...
References
1999 non-fiction books
Critical theory
Decolonization
Epistemology books
History of colonialism
Works about colonialism
Zed Books books
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