Chair
Trainor, SarahCommittee
Hirsch, AlexanderHum, Richard
Topkok, Sean Asikłuk
Keyword
Social epistemologyArctic regions
Sociology of knowledge
Indigenous peoples
Knowledge management
Theory of Knowledge
Interdisciplinary approach to knowledge
Traditional ecological knowledge
Ethnophilosophy
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Analyzing and comprehending co-production of knowledge (CPK) in the context of working with Arctic Indigenous communities on climate change research is the main goal for this interdisciplinary doctoral dissertation. CPK is shared decision-making on every step of the research process with research partners from communities, agencies, or organizations. CPK with Arctic Indigenous communities requires dedicated consideration of equity, ethics, cultural worldviews, and colonization. Key concepts from Indigenous critical methodologies are used to analyze both the CPK theory and implementation. CPK has the potential to be an ethical space to question the status quo of research processes and support Indigenous self-determination. Critiquing NSF's Navigating the New Arctic as a case study, there were many missteps in not following CPK in the development of the program and projects, along with not following United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples' Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (Ch. 2). There are significant lessons to be learned from the literature on collaborative methodology, including Indigenous methodologies. Through synthesis work, a model was developed compiling factors of success to achieving CPK along with a discussion of perspectives on those factors and success metrics. The objective of the synthesis work is the development of tools to support transparent communication and co-design of research projects (Ch. 3). CPK happens in-between the boundaries of disciplines, cultures, and science-policy-community. Thirteen experts in boundary spanning co-produced lessons-learned and recommendations based on their expertise and experiences. The project co-produced strategies to overcome funding barriers and the cultural divide to Alaska Native communities utilizing a boundary analysis framework (Ch. 4). Applying the CPK and boundary spanning concepts, themes of success in improving Arctic observing were developed from homogenous focus groups. With thirty-four participants representing scientists, science coordination experts, policy experts, and Indigenous community leaders and scholars, co-analysis was impractical. Following the Rapid Assessment Process utilizing focus groups, themes of success and corresponding science and Indigenous perspectives were developed (Ch. 5).Description
Dissertation (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2023Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction -- Chapter 2: Co-production of knowledge in Arctic research: A paradigm shift or another cycle of oppression? -- Chapter 3: Multi-faceted perspectives of success: factors to achieving co-production of knowledge across cultures -- Chapter 4: "What we see in the In-Between": Navigating ethics and equity in the role of leading research projects with Alaska Native communities -- Chapter 5: Defining success and a shared vision for improving Arctic observing systems for societal benefits of Arctic Indigenous communities -- Chapter 6: Conclusion -- Appendix: IRB permissions.Date
2023-12Type
DissertationRelated items
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Creating a digital house of knowledge: ensuring the continuation and integrity of Indigenous knowledge transfers in the digital eraCordova, Jacquelyn C.; Koskey, Michael; Collin, Yvette Running Horse; Afraid of Bear-Cook, Loretta (2024-12)Traditional Indigenous knowledge transfer systems have contributed to the sustainability of highly advanced Indigenous societies since time immemorial. These systems have been purposefully targeted since European arrival to the Americas in the late 1400s and early 1500s, consequently creating barriers for Indigenous Peoples as they strive to conduct their traditional knowledge transfer processes within their communities. These barriers, paired with the continual rise and use of global technologies, have created circumstances where many Native Elders and Knowledge Keepers experience difficulty reaching their youth and community members to ensure the successful transfer of Indigenous data and knowledge to current and future generations. This research applies Critical Indigenous Research Methodologies (CIRM), Participant Action Research (PAR), and Grounded Theory (GT), along with data generated from twenty-five project participants, to create a model of an Indigenous-made "Digital House of Knowledge" for those who seek to ensure the continuation and integrity of their distinct Indigenous knowledge transfer systems now and into the future. By discussing critical topics such as the security, privacy, and protection of data, processes for gathering, storing, sharing, accessing, and maintaining data, the design and structural components of digital platforms, and the importance and urgency of the application of traditional Indigenous protocols within the digital realm, this research provides a comprehensive overview of critical key points for the successful gathering, storage, protection, and dissemination of Indigenous data and knowledge within the digital realm.
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Cooperative Cross-Cultural Instruction: The Value of Multi-cultural Collaboration in the Coteaching of Topics of Worldview, Knowledge Traditions, and EpistemologiesArevgaq, Theresa John; Koskey, Michael (2016-03-06)For four years (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015) two faculty members of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Center for Cross-cultural Studies have collaborated to co-teach a course entitled Traditional Ecological Knowledge (CCS 612). This course examines the acquisition and utilization of knowledge associated with the long-term habitation of particular ecological systems and the adaptations that arise from the accumulation of such knowledge. Intimate knowledge of place—culturally, spiritually, nutritionally, and economically for viability—is traditional ecological knowledge, and this perspective is combined with the needs of an Indigenous research method to better understand and more effectively explore the proper role of traditional knowledge in academic, cross-cultural research. This presentation and paper explores the strategies tested and lessons learned from teaching students from a wide variety of academic and cultural backgrounds including the social and life sciences, and the humanities, and from Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultural origins. The instructors, too—and most importantly for this endeavor—come from an Indigenous (John) and non-Indigenous (Koskey) background, and though hailing from very different cultures and upbringings work collaboratively and with genuine mutual respect to enable an understanding of variations of traditions of knowledge and their application to academic research.
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Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Cross-Cultural ResearchBarnhardt, Ray (2015-03-06)The initiatives outlined in this article are intended to advance our understanding of cultural processes as they occur in diverse community contexts, as well as contribute to the further conceptualization, critique, and development of indigenous knowledge systems in their own right. Just as those same initiatives have drawn from the experiences of indigenous peoples from around the world, the organizations and personnel associated with this article have played a lead role in developing the emerging theoretical and evidentiary underpinnings on which the associated research is based. The expansion of the knowledge base that is associated with the interaction between western science and indigenous knowledge systems will contribute to an emerging body of scholarly work regarding the critical role that local observations and indigenous knowledge can play in deepening our understanding of human and ecological processes, particularly in reference to the experiences of indigenous peoples. This article addresses issues of relevance to underserved populations in Alaska and other geographic regions inhabited by indigenous peoples. It provides a much-needed impetus toward organizing research and education support structures that contribute to the broadening of an infrastructure fostering the use of multiple knowledge systems and diverse approaches to research. The international scope of the initiatives described provides multiple benefits derived from the economies of scale associated with linking numerous small-scale populations, as well as increased applicability of outcomes associated with the extensive opportunities for cross-cultural comparison.