The Journey Between Western and Indigenous Research Paradigms

• Published in: Journal of Transcultural Nursing
• Main Author: Getty, Grace A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publications 2009
• Subjects: Mi’kmaq
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1043659609349062; http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1043659609349062

This article is an account of the author’s journey as a White researcher preparing to do a community-based participatory action research study with Mi’kmaq men. In this article, a postcolonial approach is examined, interrogating the utility of this theoretical approach in research with Aboriginal people. Next, the foundations of an Indigenous worldview is identified, followed by a debate about the strengths and weaknesses of a critical social theory approach in light of an Indigenous worldview. Finally, lessons about an Indigenous research paradigm including the benefits of using a theoretical approach based on an Indigenous knowledge system are identified.