Qualitative Research: An Introduction to Methods and Designs

What Makes the “Critical” Critical?

Quechua scholar Sandy Grande (2008) writes, “By virtue of living in the Whitestream world, indigenous scholars have no choice but to negotiate the forces of colonialism, to learn, understand, and converse in the grammar of empire as well as develop the skills to contest it” (p. 234). Given the history of colonialism and its lasting effects on indigenous communities, indigenous research(ers) are faced with a number of struggles in the attempt to establish a research paradigm that is consistent with indigenous worldviews and practices. Engaging in these efforts means resisting the manner in which research has been traditionally conceptualized and practiced in the academy. Resisting research paradigms that have ...