Researching in Good Ways

“During the Working in Good Ways consultations back in 2018 and 2019, we heard a lot of stories about bad research experiences, challenging partnerships, and institutional obstacles that made UM-community relationships hard and sometimes harmful. We held on to those stories. We knew that they would become a really important part of helping us to understand how to research in good ways with Indigenous community partners. These new consultations will be aimed specifically at capturing stories about research experiences – both good and challenging, from faculty and grad students at the UM, and community partners engaged in research partnerships. These stories become the guide for what to do, and what not to do, and will help us change the way we research here at the UM.”

“There were several key takeaways from the Working in Good Ways project that will carryover into this work, including the concept of institutional accountability, which speaks to the fact that the relationships we try to form with community partners include all of the good and bad relationships that have preceded it, whether or not those researchers were even from the same institution. Another key finding from Working in Good Ways that applies in a research context is the often overlooked initial stage in community engagement: the work before the work. In this stage, the researcher builds their literacy in Indigenous content, engages in critical self-reflection, and builds relationships with communities before initiating a partnership.”