Reflexivity/Positionality - being an outsider as a researcher

[Adelaide9216]

Hello everyone,

(I guess this post will speak more to those of you who are in the social sciences.) 

I am starting a master's thesis next Fall and I have chosen to study an aspect of the reality of indigenous peoples of Canada. Although my own identity intersects with different marginalized groups (I am a woman of color), I feel somewhat uncomfortable about my research topic - even if I am 100% interested in this topic - because I do not belong to that community and I will never consider myself an expert on their reality. 

I did a poster presentation at a congress a few months ago and it was on my master's thesis topic. I realized that I was uncomfortable whenever I had people come up to me and ask me questions about my poster as if I was an expert on indigenous peoples in Canada. I feel like indigenous peoples are the experts of their own lives and I do not consider myself as a "spokesperson" for them because I have not been given that role.

I am saying this because in Canada, there has been lots and lots of research on indigenous peoples made by non-indigenous researchers. There are many reasons to this (colonialism, opression, etc.) but it is also because not many indigenous peoples get to finish high school because of many types of systemic barriers that are rooted in our history as a country towards this group. I sometimes feel like an imposteur, as if I am "stealing" the spot of an indigenous person to speak for themselves over their own reality and be empowered by doing so instead of having an outsider doing it for them.

Has anyone ever felt like this? Am I the only one? 

I love my research topic, I am genuinely interested into learning more about this history that not many Canadians are aware of. I've also been in indigenous communities and volunteered for an indigenous organization where I live. But I still feel somewhat not comfortable. I am considering doing a Ph.D and even though I love my master's research topic, I am considering switching topic at the PhD level mainly for this feeling of discomfort. I don't want to be seen as a spokesperson or an expert on indigenous peoples because I am not and will never be.

Any thoughts on this?

[KittyCat_PhD]

As a white person, I don't have any immediate input on whether you should switch topics. But if you do stay with this topic, maybe you could see if there's a way for any of the people you study to make bigger contributions that would merit co-author status, on papers, posters, etc. Depending on the standards of your field, lack of education might not even be an issue, as long as they're giving valuable and significant input. If the higher-ups frown on this, then that shows a blatant disrespect for the culture they claim to be interested in, so IMO you'd be justified in making an official protest. If this goes nowhere, or you don't feel comfortable starting this confrontation, then maybe it's time to switch topics.

Edited August 15, 2017 by KittyCat_PhD
unclear wording

[rising_star]

You should do more reading. Plenty of qualitative researchers have written about the things you talk about. You might also be interested in a recent special issue in the journal Area on decolonizing indigenous studies.

[Adelaide9216]

32 minutes ago, rising_star said:

You should do more reading. Plenty of qualitative researchers have written about the things you talk about. You might also be interested in a recent special issue in the journal Area on decolonizing indigenous studies.

Thank you ! I am starting my master's in a few weeks, so I will definetly look into this. I'm glad to see that I am not the only one who feels this way and that other researchers have thought about this.

[Adelaide9216]

3 hours ago, KittyCat_PhD said:

As a white person, I don't have any immediate input on whether you should switch topics. But if you do stay with this topic, maybe you could see if there's a way for any of the people you study to make bigger contributions that would merit co-author status, on papers, posters, etc. Depending on the standards of your field, lack of education might not even be an issue, as long as they're giving valuable and significant input. If the higher-ups frown on this, then that shows a blatant disrespect for the culture they claim to be interested in, so IMO you'd be justified in making an official protest. If this goes nowhere, or you don't feel comfortable starting this confrontation, then maybe it's time to switch topics.

These are really interesting suggestions. Thank you!