Conflicting Goals, Ideologies, and Beliefs in the Field

• Main Authors: Grenoble, Lenore A., Whitecloud, Simone S.
• Format: Book Part
• Language: unknown
• Published: British Academy 2014
• Subjects: Greenland; inuit
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.5871/bacad/9780197265765.003.0016

The last two decades have seen a remarkable surge in work in description and documentation of endangered languages, which has required researchers to rethink how they work with indigenous communities. A wealth of literature has sprung up to address the problems and issues of ethical research and how to create true collaborations between the parties involved. Despite this focused attention, and at times genuine efforts to engage community members in research, this chapter argues that there continue to be fundamental differences between many external researchers and community members in terms of the beliefs each holds about the kind of research that should be conducted, and core differences in ideologies about what constitutes valid research methods and findings. The documentation of traditional knowledge of plant use among Inuit communities in Greenland is explored as a case study.