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Turner H, Rogers B, Kneebone S, Ramirez D, French M, Sawailau MJ, Volavola F, Baran S, Matavesi K, Newton O, Luveniyali MB, Tela A, Vakarewa I. An organizing framework to break down Western-centric views of knowledge in North-South research. SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE 2024; 19:647-664. [PMID: 38404521 PMCID: PMC10891260 DOI: 10.1007/s11625-024-01478-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Global challenges, such as climate change, persistent poverty, and food insecurity are complex problems. These societal, environmental, and economic challenges cross scientific disciplines, communities, and geographies, requiring interdisciplinary, North-South solutions. Nevertheless, prevailing sustainability science responses are Western-centric. Some seminal studies have attempted to understand and engage with diverse knowledge systems. These include decolonial and Indigenous methodologies, such as "Two-Eyed Seeing", which emphasizes the importance of using both Western and Indigenous knowledge to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the world, and participatory action research, which highlights the importance of involving participants in the research process and promoting social change through collaborative effort. However, apart from in-country research collaborations with traditional Indigenous knowledge, most North-South studies overlook the role or influence of Western-centric views and therefore fail to recognize and incorporate diverse worldviews and knowledge systems. This may, in part, reflect the tendency to categorize research into disciplinary silos, but more likely is the unintentional, yet prevalent, view that Western science is "objective and neutral." As more scholars from multiple disciplines and geographies focus on interdisciplinary North-South research, it is critical that researchers reflect on dominant research approaches and knowledge production. Studies can co-construct, reproduce, or control the forms of knowledge generated-whether intentional or unintentional. This paper presents an organizing framework to help researchers navigate, understand, and engage with diverse forms of knowledge in undertaking North-South research. The framework draws on empirical observations from the authors' interdisciplinary research and from empirical cross-cultural literature. It comprises three contextual levels of influence, featuring guiding principles and subsequent practical actions researchers can use to navigate the complexities of knowledge co-construction in North-South research. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11625-024-01478-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Turner
- Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Briony Rogers
- Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Sarah Kneebone
- Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Diego Ramirez
- Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Matthew French
- Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Mere Jane Sawailau
- Revitalising Informal Settlements and Their Environments (RISE), Suva, Fiji
| | - Filise Volavola
- Revitalising Informal Settlements and Their Environments (RISE), Suva, Fiji
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Isoa Vakarewa
- Revitalising Informal Settlements and Their Environments (RISE), Suva, Fiji
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Carmona R, Reed G, Ford J, Thorsell S, Yon R, Carril F, Pickering K. Indigenous Peoples' rights in national climate governance: An analysis of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). AMBIO 2024; 53:138-155. [PMID: 37819439 PMCID: PMC10692065 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-023-01922-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Although the recognition of Indigenous Peoples' contributions to climate governance by the international community has gradually increased, a rights-based approach in national climate action is still largely absent. This article analyses the recognition of Indigenous Peoples' rights in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. We conducted a content analysis of all NDCs submitted between 2016 and May 2022. Through a five-pronged framework of sustainable self-determination, we assessed how the NDCs recognise: i. Indigenous Peoples as rights-holders; ii. Indigenous jurisdiction over land; iii. Indigenous knowledge systems; iv. Indigenous Peoples' right to full and effective participation in climate governance; and v. the legacy of colonialism. NDCs with references related to Indigenous Peoples are increasing. However, questions remain regarding their sincerity and commitment to implementation. States must therefore make more significant efforts to ensure that the NDCs take a rights-based approach and contribute to strengthening Indigenous Peoples' role and say in climate governance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosario Carmona
- Department for the Anthropology of the Americas, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
- Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (CIGIDEN), Santiago, Chile.
| | - Graeme Reed
- Centre for Indigenous Knowledges, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | - James Ford
- Priestley International Centre for Climate, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Stefan Thorsell
- International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rocío Yon
- Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Francisca Carril
- Center for Intercultural and Indigenous Research (CIIR), Santiago, Chile
| | - Kerrie Pickering
- Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, Brock University, St. Catharines, Canada
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Malli A, Monteith H, Hiscock EC, Smith EV, Fairman K, Galloway T, Mashford-Pringle A. Impacts of colonization on Indigenous food systems in Canada and the United States: a scoping review. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:2105. [PMID: 37885000 PMCID: PMC10601184 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16997-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Indigenous populations in Canada and the United States (US) have maintained reciprocal relationships with nature, grounded in respect for and stewardship of the environment; however, disconnection from traditional food systems has generated a plethora of physical and mental health challenges for communities. Indigenous food sovereignty including control of lands were found to be factors contributing to these concerns. Therefore, our aim was to conduct a scoping review of the peer-reviewed literature to describe Indigenous disconnection from Indigenous food systems (IFS) in Canada and the US. METHODS Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-SR) and Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines, we searched MEDLINE, SCOPUS, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Sociological Abstracts, and Bibliography of Native North Americans. Data was extracted from 41 studies and a narrative review completed based on study themes. RESULTS The overarching theme identified in the included studies was the impact of colonization on IFS. Four sub-themes emerged as causes for Indigenous disconnection from traditional food systems, including: climate change; capitalism; legal change; and socio-cultural change. These sub-themes highlight the multiple ways in which colonization has impacted Indigenous food systems in Canada and the US and important areas for transformation. CONCLUSIONS Efforts to reconnect Indigenous knowledge and values systems with future food systems are essential for planetary health and sustainable development. Traditional knowledge sharing must foreground authentic Indigenous inclusion within policymaking.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Malli
- Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - H Monteith
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - E C Hiscock
- Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 500 University Avenue Suite 160, Toronto, ON, M5G 1V7, Canada
| | - E V Smith
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Waakebiness Institute for Indigenous Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada
| | - K Fairman
- Institute for Circumpolar Health Research, 3506 MacDonald Drive, Yellowknife, NT, X1A 2H1, Canada
| | - T Galloway
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - A Mashford-Pringle
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Waakebiness Institute for Indigenous Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada.
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Diversifying Indigenous Vulnerability and Adaptation: An Intersectional Reading of Māori Women’s Experiences of Health, Wellbeing, and Climate Change. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14095452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Despite evidence that Indigenous peoples’ multiple subjectivities engender diverse lived experiences both between and within Indigenous groups, the influence of multiple subjectivities on Indigenous peoples’ vulnerability and adaptation to climate change is largely un-explored. Drawing on ethnographic research with Indigenous Māori women in Aotearoa New Zealand, this paper provides empirical evidence that subjectivity-mediated power dynamics operating within Indigenous societies (at the individual and household scale) are important determinants of vulnerability and adaptation which should be considered in both scholarship and policy. Using an intersectional framework, I demonstrate how different Māori women and their whānau (families) live, cope with, and adapt to the embodied physical and emotional health effects of climate change in radically different ways because of their subject positionings, even though they belong to the same community, hapū (sub-tribe), or iwi (tribe). In underlining these heterogenous experiences, I provide an avenue for reconsidering how climate adaptation scholarship, policies, and practices might better engage with the complex, amorphous realities within Māori and other Indigenous communities. I argue it is possible to develop more inclusive, tailored, and sustainable adaptation that considers divergent vulnerabilities and adaptive capacities within Indigenous communities, groups, and societies and supports customised vulnerability-reduction strategies.
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Cameron L, Mauro I, Settee K. “A Return to and of the Land”: Indigenous Knowledge and Climate Change Initiatives across the Canadian Prairies. J ETHNOBIOL 2021. [DOI: 10.2993/0278-0771-41.3.368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Cameron
- Prairie Climate Centre, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3B 2E9
| | - Ian Mauro
- Prairie Climate Centre, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3B 2E9
| | - Kevin Settee
- Prairie Climate Centre, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3B 2E9
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