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Research, the researcher, the researched.

I have just finished reading "Decolonizing methodologies: research and indigenous peoples", by Linda Smith. After chatting in the MAPP Cafe with a few of you I wanted to bring forward a couple of quotes that have me reflecting on the research to come. 

"Another problem is that academic writing is a form of selecting, arranging and presenting knowledge. It privileges sets of texts, views about the history of an idea, what issues count as significant; and, by engaging in the same process uncritically, we too can render Indigenous writers invisible or unimportant while reinforcing the validity of other writers" p. 39

  • This reminded me of the blog post that Matthew posted reflecting on the readings as mainly white male-authored, and how as a researcher it is imperative to the narrative that we understand where the research we are using is coming from and the lens this gives 

"The basic questions to answer are ‘Where are you from?’ ‘What brings you here?’ ‘What are you bringing with you?’ ‘What are your intentions?’ ‘How long do you intend staying?’ ‘What are the benefits of your research?’ ‘What capacity are you building in the community?’ These questions are as much about you as a human being and as a social and cultural being as they are to you as a theorist, researcher, educator, artist or scientist." p.193

  • This is the lens I will take forward with my research. It is what our class was speaking about the other day when we were discussing the implications of researching children or the elderly.

"Research is about satisfying a need to know, and a need to extend the boundaries of existing knowledge through a process of systematic inquiry. Rationality in the Western tradition enabled knowledge to be produced and articulated in a scientific and ‘superior’ way." p.221

  • This reminded me of what Olga (I think it was Olga) spoke about in Module 1 with the privilege of writing. Even being able to read various research texts is a demonstration of the privilege we hold. The superiority of institutionalized education is an interesting topic to dive into. Today Honor was also commenting on this as perhaps the texts of those voices that we are hoping to find or looking specifically for are not as readily available for us in our specific library or perhaps they haven't come to view in the same light that other research has (the example of songs or movement as research vs journal articles).

"Research in itself is a powerful intervention, even if carried out at a distance, which has traditionally benefited the researcher, and the knowledge base of the dominant group in society." p.228

  • It's interesting for me to look at this. I often reflect on how I sit within my practice, specifically as yoga teacher. I am a white cisgender female who teaches Yoga. I have the conversation a lot with colleagues and with myself about the role I play within that arena, and now as I dive into my inquiry which will have roots in Yogic philosophy, as well as Hindu and Buddhist teachings, I will be reflecting on who this research benefits...another white capitalist? It is something I have been thinking a lot about recently in how to move forward in a way that is sensitive and anchored in truth and that benefits more than an institution or myself. Looking at the ways we hold space or don't hold space, the language used within these spaces, and the teachings we are offering that come from an ancient lineage and history.





Comments

  1. OlgaMarch 1, 2023 at 6:46 AM

    Cael, thank you for sharing. Your post resonates with me and provokes me to reflect and ask myself further. The perspective on civilization and history is related to written language. Cultures that did not leave any written traces are considered pre-historical or uncivilized. Without records, any experience has fewer rights, and less power to be considered meaningful. A written word becomes more trustworthy than one's embodied experience. And this rise of the written word is not rooted in human nature but cultivated through a rather specific approach to education which worships letters, words, and texts more than any other experience.

    What makes knowledge of dance or somatic practice 'indigenous' is their resistance to articulation, to the written word. And my intention to research is not only to learn or discover but also to articulate the knowledge, mine and others, so it will not only contribute to our 'tribe' but will help to recognize it for those who are ignorant of it, who trust written texts more than their own bodies. Because it might become that uncomfortable variation in one's experiences which will lead to learning.

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