"Study us to Life": Reflections from an Indigenous Community-Engaged Research Workshop & the Future of University-Community Research Relationships

• Published in: GeoHumanities Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 225 - 233
• Main Authors: Hill-Tout, Kimberly, McBeath, Brittany
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 02.01.2025
• Subjects: Community-engaged research; indigenous research methods; research environments
• ISSN: 2373-566X; 2373-5678
• DOI: 10.1080/2373566X.2024.2444639

Following an Indigenous community-engaged research workshop, we reflect on the efforts of graduate students to conduct, change, and create partnerships with Indigenous communities. We speak to the ways Indigenous voices must be represented in the future of university-community partnerships and how building longstanding relationships is key to rigorous research practice. Research involving Indigenous communities requires a rigorous process to ensure Indigenous voices are centered. However, prioritizing processes that ensure that Indigenous life is seen, heard, and portrayed properly is challenging for graduate students within current academic training environments. There is a critical need to address the multifaceted challenges that impact the trajectory of Indigenous research particularly in relation to the historic trauma of unethical research, and the work required by academics to (re)concile this today. We address these challenges by discussing community-engaged research approaches in university-community research partnerships, and the benefits of longstanding relationships between PIs and community partners.