Consequences of Monological and Dialogical Dialogue in Reciprocal Indigenous Research Relationships - Doing Research at Standing Rock Reservation

Abstract

This thesis has as its starting points an experience of rejection and ethical challenges met in the course of conducting research within the field of indigenous research. The attempted research took place during the Lakȟótiyapi Summer Institute of 2013 at Sitting Bull College at Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, U.S., and was interrupted by the local Institutional Review Board. Due to the role research has historically and contemporarily played in regards to the subjugation, colonization and marginalization of indigenous peoples, and the lack of clarity in a code of ethics in the field of indigenous research, the ethical responsibilities of an individual researcher as well as the field of indigenous research demand critical reflection. By qualitatively examining the relationships involved in the process of making this thesis, this thesis aims to contribute to a discourse on research ethics and offers both a tool and suggestions by which research relationships can be improved in their reciprocity in an indigenous research context. Developing reciprocity in indigenous research relationships is important for the protection of the rights and integrity of indigenous peoples and increases the likelihood of research processes and outcomes reflecting the interests of the community in question. More closely, this thesis looks at how monological and dialogical dialogue contribute to the element of reciprocity in research relationships. The dialogical and monological nature of a relationship is determined, in this thesis, through a framework built on a combination of hermeneutic and indigenous perspectives on reciprocity and relationships. The outcomes of analysis confirm the importance of reciprocity in indigenous research relationships and reveal how monological and dialogical approaches are either conducive or hindering to the element of reciprocity in those relationships. The scope of this thesis is limited to the experience of an attempt to conduct research in the context of a particular indigenous community, academic and federally administered institution, and country, and considers the interaction of these particular actors within the research process. The theoretical, methodological and practical contributions of this thesis, however, are potentially generalizable when culturally contextualized, and have a potential impact on future approaches to indigenous research relationships as well as developing Master of Indigenous Studies students’ capabilities in the field of indigenous research.