The Office of the Vice-Dean, Research invites you to participate in our monthly series: Research Connections. This series is intended to be an opportunity for colleagues to share, with a short presentation as a starting point for questions or discussions between panelists and participants. Each third Tuesday of the month will be devoted to a specific topic.   The topic for March: decolonizing research

The Faculty of Social Sciences is hard at work on indignizing our curriculum, which requires us to listen to and respect Indigenous knowledge. It is just as important, as non-indigenous researchers, to work toward decolonizing research.

It is our honour to welcome two experts to this session:

•  Cyndy Wylde, Professor at the School of Social Work. Originally from the community of Pikogan in the north-west of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Professor Wylde is Anicinape and Atikamekw. Her nonlinear career path in criminology, substance use and mental health has always been with and for First Nations. She defines decolonization of research as follows : "It is a matter of re-examining traditional research methods that reflect a Western perspective resulting from colonial structures, methodologies that have clearly contributed to the marginalisation of First Peoples. Indigenous methodologies, on the other hand, make it possible to reappropriate not only the research process as such but also the data concerning First Peoples. Decolonizing research means engaging in participatory and ethical research in order to respect indigenous communities at all levels."
   
• Karine Vanthuyne, Professor at the School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies and Chair in University Teaching at uOttawa. Her research focuses on the memory, identity and rights of Indigenous peoples, while prioritizing methodologies and protocols required to sustain truly participatory and decolonial research processes. She also is currently involved in the Indigenization of the curricula at FSS.