Methodological and academic challenges in Canadian political science: the value of a socially engaged approach for Indigenous research

Research undertaken on Indigenous peoples, cultures, and lands has historically resulted in Indigenous peoples being the most researched people in the world. Most research has been conducted on Indigenous people, culture and lands without the permission, consultation, or involvement of Indigenous peoples themselves. Socially engaged research is one approach that is increasingly recognized as an important approach to conducting research with rather than on Indigenous peoples. This research framework is a collaborative process that equitably involves those engaged in the research as partners and recognizes the unique strengths that each brings and the depth and richness this can add to research questions and knowledge outcomes. This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of undertaking socially engaged research within an Indigenous context and argues that the future of meaningful research in Political Science should shift its approach to research design from an exclusively scholarly design, to one that actively engages Indigenous scholars, peoples and communities as partners whose participation serves to craft research agendas and questions. To make our case, we draw on our research with Indigenous communities in Canada to illustrate the value of this approach, which draws on Indigenous worldviews, local knowledge, and experience.