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Department of Pacific Affairs · ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
This course, offered by the Department of Pacific Affairs (DPA) is designed for scholars, development practitioners and those with an interest in social research methods and their application in the Pacific development context. It seeks to develop professional knowledge of and familiarity with indigenous research methodologies which have their origins in the Pacific islands region. It introduces research methodologies and approaches utilised by and for Pacific Islanders which are considered appropriate to and respectful of the Pacific Islands cultural context. Methodologies examined and discussed in detail include Talanoa (typically associated with Fiji, Samoa and Tonga) , Kaupapa Maori (research by Maori , for Maori and with Maori ), the Tivaevae model (from Cook Islands) and emergent Melanesian research methodologies. The course will draw upon the indigenous expertise of DPA's Pacific Islands Research Fellows.
Course attendance and participation
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4
Oral presentation (1000 words equivalent)
Learning outcomes 2, 3, 4
Research Paper (2000 words)
Learning outcomes 1, 2
This course comprises some 65 hours of activity over 12 weeks, both interactive/seminar based and independent research. The course comprises a maximum of 3k words of assessment or the equivalent. Please note this is a general guide, averaged over the semester and the final hours ultimately depend on the individual's ability in reading and writing.
None required Preliminary Reading · Anae, M. 2016. Teu Le Va: Samoan Relational Ethics. Knowledge Cultures 4(3):117-130. · Baba, T. 2004. Pacific and Indigenous Research: Beyond Bondage and Patronage. In T. Baba, O. Mahina, N. Williams and U. Nabobo-Baba (eds). Researching the Pacific and Indigenous Peoples: Issues and Perspectives. Auckland: Centre for Pacific Studies, The University of Auckland, 95-104. · Curtis, E. 2016. Indigenous Positioning in Health Research: The Importance of Kaupapa Maori Theory-informed Practice. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples 12(4):396–410. · Datta, R. 2018. Traditional Storytelling: An Effective Indigenous Research Methodology and Its Implications for Environmental Research. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples 14(1):35–44. · Fa’avae, D., A. Jones and L. Manu’atu 2016. Talanoa’i ‘A e Talanoa—Talking about Talanoa: Some Dilemmas of a Novice Researcher. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples 12(2):138–150. · Farrelly, T. and U. Nabobo-Baba 2014. Talanoa as Empathic Apprenticeship. Asia Pacific Viewpoint 55(3):319-330. · Filipo, T. 2004. In Search of a Culturally Appropriate Approach to Research: A Samoan Case. In T. Baba, O. Mahina, N. Williams and U. Nabobo-Baba (eds). Researching the Pacific and Indigenous Peoples: Issues and Perspectives. Auckland: Centre for Pacific Studies, The University of Auckland, 179-185. · Futter-Puati, D. and T. Maua-Hodges 2019. Stitching Tivaevae: A Cook Islands Research Method. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples 15(2):140–149. · Hammond, C., W. Gifford, R. Thomas, S. Rabaa, O. Thomas and M.-C. Domecq 2018. Arts-based Research Methods with Indigenous Peoples: An International Scoping Review. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples 14(3):260–276. · Kwame, A. 2017. Reflexivity and the Insider/Outsider Discourse in Indigenous Research: My Personal Experience· Kwaymullina, A. 2016. Research, Ethics and Indigenous Peoples: An Australian Indigenous Perspective on Three Threshold Considerations for Respectful Engagement. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples 12(4):437–449. · Lawless, J.-A. 2015. Strengthening Our Voices: Urban-dwelling Aboriginal People and Research Protocols. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples 11(4):389–400. · McFall-McCaffery, J. 2010. Getting Started with Pacific Research: Finding Resources and Information on Pacific Research Models and Methodologies. MAI Review 1:1-5. · Meo-Sewabu, L. 2014. Cultural Discernment as an Ethics Framework: An Indigenous Fijian Approach. Asia Pacific Viewpoint 55(3):345–354. · Mutu, M. 2004. Researching the Pacific. In T. Baba, O. Mahina, N. Williams and U. Nabobo-Baba (eds). Researching the Pacific and Indigenous Peoples: Issues and Perspectives. Auckland: Centre for Pacific Studies, The University of Auckland, 54-62. · Nabobo-Baba, U. 2004. Research and Pacific Indigenous Peoples: Silenced Pasts and Challenged Futures. In T. Baba, O. Mahina, N. Williams and U. Nabobo-Baba (eds). Researching the Pacific and Indigenous Peoples: Issues and Perspectives. Auckland: Centre for Pacific Studies, The University of Auckland, 17-32. · Nabobo-Baba, U. 2008. Decolonising Framings in Pacific Research: Indigenous Fijian Vanua Research Framework as an Organic Response. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples 4(2):140-154. · Robinson, D. and K. Robinson 2005. ‘Pacific Ways of Talk – Hui and Talanoa.’ Unpublished research project for the New Zealand Institute for Economic Research. Retrieved from https://nzier.org.nz/static/media/filer_public/83/9c/839ccd89-864c-4e12-ad77-9947e73564e2/nztc_no_36.pdf · Sandoval, C.D.M., R.M. Lagunas, L.T. Montelongo and M.J. Díaz 2016. Ancestral Knowledge Systems: A Conceptual Framework for Decolonizing Research in Social Science. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples 12(1):18–31. · Sanga, K.F. 2004. Making Philosophical Sense of Indigenous Pacific Research. In T. Baba, O. Mahina, N. Williams and U. Nabobo-Baba (eds). Researching the Pacific and Indigenous Peoples: Issues and Perspectives. Auckland: Centre for Pacific Studies, The University of Auckland, 41-52. · Smith, L.T., T.K. Maxwell, H. Puke, P. Temara 2016. Indigenous Knowledge, Methodology and Mayhem: What is the Role of Methodology in Producing Indigenous Insights? A Discussion from Matauranga Maori. Knowledge Cultures 4(3):131–156. · Smith, L., L. Pihama, N. Cameron, T. Mataki, H. Morgan and R. Te Nana 2019. Thought Space Wananga—A Kaupapa Maori Decolonizing Approach to Research Translation. Genealogy 3:74. · Stevenson, K. 2018. A Consultation Journey: Developing a Kaupapa Maori Research Methodology to Explore Maori Whanau Experiences of Harm and Loss Around Birth. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples 14(1):54–62. · Suaalii-Sauni, T. and S.M. Fulu-Aiolupotea 2014. Decolonising Pacific Research, Building Pacific Research Communities and Developing Pacific Research Tools: The Case of the Talanoa and the Faafaletui in Samoa. Asia Pacific Viewpoint 55(3):331–344. · Sumida Huaman, E. and P. Mataira 2019. Beyond Community Engagement: Centering Research Through Indigenous Epistemologies and Peoplehood. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples 15(3):281–286.