The term decolonisation of research has become a 'fashionable' concept especially after the tragic killing of George Floyd last year. But what does decolonisation of research mean? As Keikelame & Swartz 2019 defines:
‘When indigenous people become the researchers and not merely the researched, the activity of research is transformed. Questions are framed differently, priorities are ranked differently, problems are defined differently, people participate on different terms. (Smith 1999, cited in Zavala [1, p. 59])’
This statement is powerful because it demonstrates a shift of power from those whose lives have been researched without having a say in how the data is interpreted and reported. This powershift is paramount if issues that are important to the ‘Global South’ receives the attention it truly deserves.
As a British African woman born to West African parents, decolonising research starts from conceptualising the problem and/ or phenomenon. Although I am of African heritage, I am under no delusion that the way I see life is the same as people who have spent their entire lives in Africa, which is the context of this blog. I am very aware that the research that I undertake will be informed by my own understanding reflecting my upbringing in a Western society.
Decolonisation of research should inform the idea as stated earlier and the entire research process, including the design, data collection and analysis and most importantly, the interpretation of the data. No matter how empathetic I am to a cause, I cannot see through the lens of someone who has lived that experience, but I can allow the research participants to tell their stories in a way that is real to them.
There are different worldviews and the way we understand them in research is known as ontology. For the purpose of this blog, I will be concentrating on the qualitative approach to the understanding of worldview. The qualitative researcher ultimately wants to engage in the lived experiences of participants, lending itself to a subjective and personalised view. Storytelling is a powerful narrative research method that as one author describes is made up of 5 elements, the act (what is done); the scene (the context which it is done; the agent or actor (who does it); the agency (how it is done) and the purpose (why it is done) (Burke 1945 cited in Greenhalgh et al, 2005 [p. 443]). When a researcher goes into a cultural context alien to them it is important that Burke’s key elements are considered and realised.
Storytelling is an age-old tradition within many African communities where the elders share their traditions and practices with the younger generation, keeping alive deeply valued cultural heritage (Stennett, 2019), which would be lost if not captured in some form of documentation. This as a research method used within the African context facilitates the use of a familiar research tool to gather rich data and provide insight into a phenomenon that otherwise may not be accessible.
After the data is collected it must be analysed using the language that is aligned to the approach used; interpretation of data especially if gathered in the native language of participants needs to capture the real meaning without misinterpretation. Therefore, researchers should involve the participants in the analysis process so that meaning is not lost through translation (Eboh et al. 2007). This can be done through employing an interpreter and using back-translation to ensure that the true meaning of the data has been captured and appropriately communicated.
Furthermore, the Western ideology that has driven the research ideas and methodologies have not served the Global South. It is paramount that research ideas come from the population and carried out in ‘a participatory way for authenticity and credibility.' In the context of this blog, it is important to hear from those whose stories are being told in a language that extrapolates meaning to their lived experiences. In the work by Keikelame & Swartz 2019, the words of a traditional healer who invited one of the researchers to a traditional heritage celebration:
‘African researchers are the ones who can bring the true originality of the African traditional customs through their heritage…and heritage must not exclude culture, Ubuntu ["I am because we are"], nature and language. (Personal communication, CONTRALESA leader, 12 May 2013)’.
Researchers in utilising a decolonised approach to their studies need to unlearn a way of knowing based on Westernised ideology and adopt an approach that places the participant at the heart of the topic selection and methodology, from conception to dissemination.
References
Eboh W O, Pitchforth E, van Teijlingen E R, 2007. Lost words: research via translation RCM midwives: official journal of the Royal College of Midwives.
Keikelame M J and Swarz l 2019. Decolonising research methodologies: lessons from a qualitative research project, Cape Town, South Africa. Global Health Action; 12(1): 1561175.
Greenhalgh T, Russell J, and Swinglehurst 2005. Narrative methods in quality improvement research. Quality & Safety in Health Care; 14(6): 443–449.
Stennett L. 2019 West Africa's oral histories tell us a more complete story than traditional post-colonial narratives https://qz.com/africa/1770108/west-africas-oral-history-griots-tell-a-more-complete-story/
Dr Winifred Eboh is a Registered General Nurse and Midwife as well as the Postgraduate Research Director in the School of Health and Social Care at the University of Essex. Her areas of teaching include genetics related to haemoglobinopathies and the inequality in health amongst marginalised communities. Dr Eboh also co-chairs a working group addressing racism in the health and social care.