IDS 450: Decolonial Participatory Action Research

Indigenous Chamorus and allies rallying for the decolonization of Guåhan and Oceania (i.e., the Pacific Islands region) at the 2016 Festival of Pacific Arts hosted in Guåhan.

Learn about decolonial participatory action research in theory and practice through a semester-long seminar/studio course, working directly with Indigenous community organizations fighting against ongoing US settler-colonialism and empire. 

Project description

Decolonial participatory action research (PAR)—a set of research methodologies that involve Indigenous leadership at every stage of the research process, from research design and data collection to data analysis and results dissemination—is increasingly standard practice in research with Indigenous peoples. Adopting a mixed-studio/seminar format, this upper-division course on decolonial PAR guides students through the basics of decolonial PAR design and practice, and involves semester-long team projects with Indigenous community organizations to contribute directly to their important everyday work. This course culminates in a final team report, and the production of relevant materials to be determined by Indigenous community organizations (e.g. research briefs, social media posts, public education documents, grant application drafts). Ultimately, students will leave this experience with a deeper understanding of how Indigenous community organizations advance Indigenous self-determination under ongoing US settler-colonialism and empire, and develop useful tools for designing, understanding and improving participatory processes involving Indigenous peoples. 

Project outcome

Participants will submit a brief 5-6-slide deck documenting their work, including details of the decolonial participatory action research partnership, the final products, their role in contributing to these products, and the skills they developed from this experience.

Project details

Timing, eligibility and other details
Length of commitment About a semester; 3-5 months
Start time Spring (January/February) 
In-person, remote, or hybrid? Remote Project 
Level of collaboration Small group project (2-3 students) 
Benefits Academic credit 
Who is eligible Juniors & Seniors currently enrolled in IDS 450

Core partners

Project mentor

Kevin Lee

Assistant Professor

Indigenous Studies

Phone: (650) 888-6804

Email: leekl@buffalo.edu

Start the project

  1. Ensure you are enrolled in the course for the correct semester.
  2. Click the button to start the digital badge below.
Start the Digital Badge

Preparation activities

Once you begin the digital badge series, you will have access to all the necessary activities and instructions. Your mentor has indicated they would like you to also complete the specific preparation activities below. Please reference this when you get to Step 2 of the Preparation Phase. 

Initial preparation activities include:

  1. Completing the first meeting with your team’s assigned Indigenous community partner
  2. Completing the first team meeting to discuss delegation of tasks and responsibilities over the semester

Keywords

Indigenous Studies, Social Movements, Community, Resistance, Colonialism, Community-Engaged Research