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Decolonizing Research Indigenous

Archibald, J. Q’um Q’um Xiiem, Lee-Morgan, J. B. J., & De Santolo, J. (Eds.). (2019). Decolonizing Research: Indigenous Storywork as Methodology. Zed Books.

This edited volume offers a powerful decolonising framework for research grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing and storywork. Drawing on contributions from Indigenous scholars across Aotearoa New Zealand, Canada, and Australia, it reframes research not as a neutral, Western-centric activity, but as a relational and culturally embedded practice that honours Indigenous worldviews, protocols, and narrative forms. Central to the book is the concept of Indigenous storywork, which positions stories as living pedagogical and methodological tools that carry cultural values, ethics, and knowledge systems rather than simply data to be extracted. The book asserts that decolonising research involves more than critiquing colonial legacies. It requires actively foregrounding Indigenous epistemologies, methodologies, and relational ethics, including the ways stories affirm identity, community, and self-determination. Across the chapters, contributors explore how Indigenous storywork supports education, law, gender discourse, and cultural sustainability, showcasing both philosophical grounding and practical approaches for re-centering Indigenous voices in scholarship. For the Telling Your Stories Project, this work provides a rich theoretical and cultural foundation for narrative and storytelling practices that are culturally grounded, relational, and transformative. It offers strong justification and conceptual tools to support decolonial, inclusive, and community-responsive pedagogies aligned with your goals.

This edited volume offers a powerful decolonising framework for research grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing and storywork. Drawing on contributions from Indigenous scholars across Aotearoa New Zealand, Canada, and Australia, it reframes research not as a neutral, Western-centric activity, but as a relational and culturally embedded practice that honours Indigenous worldviews, protocols, and narrative forms. Central to the book is the concept of Indigenous storywork, which positions stories as living pedagogical and methodological tools that carry cultural values, ethics, and knowledge systems rather than simply data to be extracted.

The book asserts that decolonising research involves more than critiquing colonial legacies. It requires actively foregrounding Indigenous epistemologies, methodologies, and relational ethics, including the ways stories affirm identity, community, and self-determination. Across the chapters, contributors explore how Indigenous storywork supports education, law, gender discourse, and cultural sustainability, showcasing both philosophical grounding and practical approaches for re-centering Indigenous voices in scholarship.

For the Telling Your Stories Project, this work provides a rich theoretical and cultural foundation for narrative and storytelling practices that are culturally grounded, relational, and transformative. It offers strong justification and conceptual tools to support decolonial, inclusive, and community-responsive pedagogies aligned with your goals.

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