Decolonising Social Work Research: Learning from Critical Indigenous Approaches

Abstract

The increasing valorisation of Indigenous knowledges, methodologies, and approaches to social work renders visible the inadequacy of Western approaches to research by non-Indigenous social workers researching with Indigenous peoples. However, non-Indigenous social workers often remain unaware of the colonising and racist assumptions underpinning their praxis. This paper contends that for non-Indigenous social work researchers embedded in the norms and assumptions of dominant Western approaches, the quest to achieve justice and equity with Indigenous peoples demands a paradigmatic shift. Through analysis of the relationship between Indigenous and critical approaches we demonstrate how dominant knowledge and power relationships can be transformed by prioritising the unique ontological, epistemological, and axiological positioning of Indigenous approaches. We argue that this can be assisted by learning from Indigenous approaches, which requires a process of multidimensional reflexivity, recentring of research praxis as a vehicle for emancipation, and the repositioning of social justice within research praxis.

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