Critical Approaches to Pacific and Inclusive Research Methodologies

This course aims to critically evaluate both Pacific and inclusive research methodologies in Pacific contexts. We consider key questions that frame stages of research, from identifying who we are in the research process (positionality) and the plethora of sources we can use to build our research programs, to the groups we wish to learn from and the most contextually appropriate methods we should adopt in collecting data. We engage with key texts and methodologies relating to Pacific research, including 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. In parallel, the course will consider strategies to strengthen inclusivity in both the methods and content of research in the Pacific, to ensure the voices of women, people with disability, the politically marginalised and those living in remote communities are heard. Throughout the course, we will discuss how indigenous paradigms relate to inclusive research, western research models, and university systems.