Please knock before you enter

P/B
ISBN 9781921214370

Aboriginal regulation of Outsiders and the implications for researchers

In this dual award-winning book Dr Karen L Martin examines the genealogy of Aboriginal research in Australia as a colonising discourse. She explores the impacts for Aboriginal people and the influences on researcher decisions and behaviours. Then, in taking on the challenges to decolonise research, Karen started not with methodology, but with decolonising research paradigms from which they are derived. Key reasons why it has been used in research programs in higher education.

This work is the first of its kind in Australia to articulate an Aboriginal research paradigm with an Indigenist research methodology. The biggest contributions being the concept of ‘Relatedness’ and the theoretical framework she named, ‘Ways of Knowing, Ways of Being and Ways of Doing’. This Aboriginal research paradigm and Indigenous methodology was consolidated as part a research project with the Burungu, Kuku Yalanji (Far North Queensland) to understand how they regulated Outsiders over time, including those like herself (another Aboriginal person, who in this case is also a researcher). However, it is incumbent on the researcher to have the requisite level of knowledge, experience and understandings of that role and research as a colonising discourse to then, ‘knock before you enter’.

Professor Norman Denzin described Karen’s work as: “a brilliant and stunning dissertation, original in conception and bold in execution…Relatedness theory is a major contribution to this literature.” Other major contributions this book makes to challenging and changing dominant Aboriginal research discourses include: Decolonising research: starting with the paradigm and continuing to the research topic and researcher roles and responsibilities Re-framing research ethics so that it is the participants who benefit and not the researcher

For Aboriginal researchers and participants, reframing research so that it becomes re-search – the search again, the reclamation of our Stories and stories (i.e. ‘getting our Stories back’ Implications for western research and researchers – research is not neutral, researchers are not neutral, writing research is not neutral. If you are starting your journey as a researcher or have found you’ve hit some glass walls and don’t know how to move to beyond them, this book will be invaluable for changing how you think about research and yourself as a researcher. It will challenge current beliefs about Aboriginal people and Country and research beneficence. For Aboriginal researchers, it will transform research to re-search (the search again).

Dr Karen L Martin is a Noonuggal, Gwandamoopa and Pitjara woman. As teacher, Karen taught in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled education services from early childhood to adult education and has worked for over 20 years in higher education in Queensland and New South Wales. Karen’s work is award-winning and of national and international renown. She is sought as speaker because of her particular style of decolonising and transforming colonial discourses in education and research – two dominating institutions. Karen has published widely in these areas and has led small, medium and large research projects in Aboriginal education and Aboriginal research. She has been Deputy Chair of the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children since 2012.