University of Cambridge
INDIGENOUS METHODOLOGIES
READING GROUP
Presented by affiliates of the Department of History and Philosophy of Science
About IMRG
Often, discussions of Indigenous methodologies and epistemologies position indigenous scientific methods as supplementarity to mainstream Western science as opposed to legitimate sciences on their own. Because of this misconception, the way non-Indigenous researchers engage with Indigenous communities often ignores the scientific developments and contributions of Indigenous peoples and cultures.
To challenge this, the Indigenous Epistemologies and Methodologies Reading Group aims to assert the validity of Indigenous scientific methods. To achieve this, the reading group will be run by two Indigenous scholars at Cambridge and will incorporate the scholarship of global Indigenous peoples, while also including workshops for teaching attendees how to engage with various Indigenous communities in practice.
Through this reading group, our ambition is that we de-center ‘decolonial theory’* as the primary means of engagement with Indigenous methodologies and epistemologies, recognizing that Indigenous epistemology predates colonialism and deserves to be interrogated as a stand-alone group of scientific methods.
*We follow Tuck and Yang’s scholarship asserting that ‘decolonization is not a metaphor’ and that co-opting such language while simultaneously not advancing the sovereignty of Indigenous communities depends harm to our communities.
In this reading group we will cover
Suggestions or Requests for the Reading Group? Send them over!
-
Who can join IMRG?While created by Cambridge postgraduates, IMRG is open to anyone, in any location and of any background, that would like to learn more about Indigenous methodologies. While some of the readings and discourse may be geared towards western higher academia, we've attempted to include a variety of sources that can be accessible to diverse cultures and backgrounds. Please feel free to contact us if you have any concerns or comments about the accessibility of the seminars or content as we consider this a priority.
-
How do I sign up to attend the reading group?You can register to attend the reading group using the registration form on the home page. We encourage registration as spaces are limited and as this will allow us to add you to our mailing list for email updates.
-
Can I participate virtually?We will offer the opportunity to joint the reading group virtually. Be sure to register to be a member of the reading group so that we can share the virtual joining link.
-
Will the reading group sessions be recorded?The reading group sessions will not be recorded. The syllabus used will, however, be accessible if you’d like to stay up-to-date with the readings and sources. Online learning modules on the Seminars page will also be periodically released to allow for guided asynchronous engagement with the materials.
-
Are the workshops mandatory?None of the workshops are mandatory to participate in the reading group. These workshops were included to allow researchers of diverse fields the unique opportunity to recieve instruction under indigenous experts - an opportunity that may typically be inaccessible without community connections.
-
Will the reading group be available in future terms?This is our first time running this reading group. We’ll aim to get critical feedback from this term’s cohort and revise for a reading group in future terms. Once we have the dates for the next reading group, we will post them to this site.
-
How were the topics of the seminars selected?The seminar topics were selected based on the various research interests within the History and Philosophy of Science department and on the various areas of expertise in our indigenous scholars network. We felt this intersection would allow seminars to be engaging for the Cambridge community while also allowing us to access quality sources and guests for participants. If there is a topic you'd like to see covered, please consider submitting your suggestions for our Lagniappe event at the end of the term.
-
How does this reading group differ from other indigenous-focused groups at Cambridge?A main intention of this reading group is to decentralize colonial agents in the conversation of Indigenous communities. Understanding that Indigenous communities have existed long before colonialization and will exist long after it has fallen, this group was created to reintroduce the concept that indigeneity does not derive its relevance nor value from its relationship to colonial rule. This reading group rejects the paternialistic and savioristic view of Indigenous peoples and focuses on the valuable academic and societial methods of Indigenous communities and how they can improve the work of non-Indigenous researchers.
-
How can I learn more about Indigenous methodologies and epistemologies outside of the reading group?The syllabus we’ve created for this reading group is a great starting point. We encourage you to start there and review the bibliography for the sources we provide to find additional information.