Connections, Disruptions, and Transformations: Decolonizing Qualitative Research

As the links between coloniality and research are uncovered, and evidence of the harms of inequity grow, research-as-usual becomes harder to justify and less tenable. Decolonial research signals an end to an ingrained and pervasive way of treating knowledge and calls for new-or ancient-design and (re) search for knowledge. Decolonial qualitative research reaches towards ancient knowledges that have at their core good relationships with all creation. Importantly, decolonial research engages directly with oppressive systems and structures, and does this alongside effective and impactful collaborations, with transformation occurring within the study and beyond it. This chapter spotlights decolonial studies by Indigenous practitioners and invites the reader to engage with questions to guide the design of research that aims to transform oppressive situations. The authors outline important developments that impact decolonial research such as Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Indigenous control and power in research. Indigenous researchers in occupational science and occupational therapy are encouraged to connect and join with collectives of Indigenous colleagues. The authors illustrate that decolonial research is not a methodological choice; rather, a methodological necessity for the profession and the discipline, given the shared goal of an equitable and just society.