The book’s biggest takeaway and point is that decolonizing methodologies are not only about changing methods, but also about changing mindsets, relationships, power structures, knowledge systems, and social realities.

Main theme of the book

The book is about how Western research has been used as a tool of colonization and oppression against indigenous peoples, and how indigenous researchers can reclaim their own ways of knowing and being through decolonizing methodologies.

Key ideas or arguments presented

• Western research is based on Enlightenment and Positivist traditions that assume the superiority of Western knowledge and the inferiority of indigenous knowledge.
• Western research has been used to justify the exploitation, domination, and marginalization of indigenous peoples and their lands, cultures, languages, and histories.
• Western research has also been used to construct and represent indigenous peoples as the Other, the exotic, the primitive, and the problem.
• Indigenous peoples have resisted Western research through various forms of activism, critique, and alternative practices.
• Indigenous researchers need to decolonize their own minds and methods, and develop research approaches that are based on indigenous values, perspectives, and epistemologies.
• Decolonizing methodologies are not only about methods, but also about ethics, politics, relationships, and accountability.
• Decolonizing methodologies aim to empower indigenous communities, challenge colonial structures, and contribute to social transformation.

Chapter titles of the book

• Chapter 1: Imperialism, History, Writing and Theory. This chapter provides a historical overview of how imperialism and colonialism have shaped the development of Western research and knowledge. It also discusses how indigenous histories have been erased, distorted, or appropriated by Western writers and theorists.
• Chapter 2: Research Through Imperial Eyes. This chapter examines how Western research has been used to explore, map, classify, measure, and control indigenous peoples and their worlds. It also analyzes how Western research has produced stereotypes and myths about indigenous peoples that serve colonial interests.
• Chapter 3: Colonizing Knowledges. This chapter explores how Western research has contributed to the colonization of indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing. It also explains how Western research has imposed its own epistemological frameworks and criteria of validity on indigenous realities.
• Chapter 4: Research Adventures on Indigenous Lands. This chapter describes how Western researchers have conducted research on indigenous lands, often without the consent or participation of indigenous communities. It also highlights some of the ethical issues and dilemmas that arise from such research practices.
• Chapter 5: Notes from Down Under. This chapter focuses on the experiences of Maori researchers in Aotearoa/New Zealand. It illustrates how Maori researchers have challenged Western research paradigms and developed their own research agendas and methodologies based on Kaupapa Maori principles.
• Chapter 6: The Indigenous People’s Project: Setting a New Agenda. This chapter outlines a new agenda for indigenous research that is informed by indigenous aspirations, needs, and visions. It also discusses some of the key themes and issues that indigenous researchers need to address in their work.
• Chapter 7: Articulating an Indigenous Research Agenda. This chapter proposes a framework for articulating an indigenous research agenda that is based on four elements: claiming, testimonies, storytelling, and celebrating survival. It also provides some examples of how these elements can be applied in different contexts.
• Chapter 8: Twenty-Five Indigenous Projects. This chapter presents twenty-five examples of indigenous research projects that demonstrate the diversity and creativity of indigenous methodologies. The projects cover various topics such as education, health, environment, culture, identity, politics, law, media, art, and spirituality.
• Chapter 9: Responding to the Imperatives of an Indigenous Agenda: A Case Study of Maori. This chapter offers a case study of how Maori researchers have responded to the imperatives of an indigenous agenda in Aotearoa/New Zealand. It shows how Maori researchers have engaged with various stakeholders such as communities, institutions, funders, policy makers, and academics in their work.
• Chapter 10: Towards Developing Indigenous Methodologies: Kaupapa Maori Research. This chapter elaborates on the concept of Kaupapa Maori research as an example of an indigenous methodology. It explains the principles and practices of Kaupapa Maori research that are based on Maori values, worldviews, and epistemologies.
• Chapter 11: Choosing the Margins: The Role of Research in Indigenous Struggles for Social Justice. This chapter reflects on the role of research in indigenous struggles for social justice. It argues that research can be a form of resistance, empowerment, and transformation for indigenous peoples if it is done in a decolonizing way.

Key takeaways of the Book

• Western research has been a powerful instrument of colonization and oppression against indigenous peoples for centuries.
• Indigenous peoples have resisted Western research through various forms of activism, critique, and alternative practices.
• Indigenous researchers need to decolonize their own minds and methods, and develop research approaches that are based on indigenous values, perspectives, and epistemologies.
• Decolonizing methodologies are not only about methods, but also about ethics, politics, relationships, and accountability.
• Decolonizing methodologies aim to empower indigenous communities, challenge colonial structures, and contribute to social transformation.

Author’s background and qualifications

Linda Tuhiwai Smith is a Maori academic and researcher from Aotearoa/New Zealand. She is a Professor of Indigenous Education and the Vice-Chancellor with responsibilities for Maori development at the University of Waikato. She is also the Dean of the School of Maori and Pacific Development. She has a PhD in Education from the University of Auckland. She has published widely on topics such as indigenous education, research, history, and culture. She is a leading figure in the field of indigenous studies and decolonizing methodologies.

Comparison to other books on the same subject

Decolonizing Methodologies is one of the first and most influential books on the subject of decolonizing research and indigenous methodologies. It has inspired and informed many other books that have followed in its footsteps, such as:

• Indigenous Methodologies: Characteristics, Conversations, and Contexts by Margaret Kovach (2009)
• Research Is Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods by Shawn Wilson (2008)
• Decolonizing Research: Indigenous Storywork as Methodology edited by Jo-ann Archibald, Jenny Bol Jun Lee-Morgan, and Jason De Santolo (2019)
• Indigenous Research Methodologies by Bagele Chilisa (2011)
• Indigenous and Decolonizing Studies in Education: Mapping the Long View edited by Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Eve Tuck, and K. Wayne Yang (2018)

These books share some common themes and perspectives with Decolonizing Methodologies, such as:

• Critiquing Western research paradigms and practices from an indigenous standpoint
• Reclaiming indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing
• Developing indigenous research agendas and methodologies
• Addressing ethical, political, relational, and accountability issues in indigenous research
• Empowering indigenous communities and contributing to social change

However, these books also differ from Decolonizing Methodologies in some aspects, such as:

• Focusing on specific indigenous contexts or regions (e.g., Canada, Australia, Africa)
• Exploring specific indigenous methods or approaches (e.g., storywork, ceremony, participatory action research)
• Engaging with specific indigenous topics or issues (e.g., education, health, environment, spirituality)
• Incorporating new theoretical or conceptual frameworks (e.g., critical race theory, postcolonial theory, intersectionality)

Target audience or intended readership

The target audience or intended readership of Decolonizing Methodologies is mainly indigenous academics and researchers who are interested in developing their own research agendas and methodologies that are relevant and respectful to their communities and cultures. However, the book is also useful for non-indigenous researchers who want to learn more about indigenous perspectives and practices on research, and who want to collaborate with indigenous communities in a decolonizing way. The book is also accessible for students, educators, policy makers, practitioners, activists, and anyone who is interested in the issues of colonization, decolonization, and indigenous studies.

Reception or critical response to the book

The book has received widespread acclaim and recognition from both indigenous and non-indigenous scholars and readers. It has been praised for its originality, clarity,

rigor, relevance, and impact. It has been described as a “landmark”, a “classic”, a “must-read”, a “game-changer”, a “masterpiece”, a “bible”, a “manifesto”, and a “source of inspiration”. It has been cited over 30 thousand times according to Google Scholar¹, making it one of the most influential books in the field of indigenous studies and decolonizing methodologies. It has also been translated into several languages such as Spanish², French³, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic, Turkish, Korean, Japanese, German, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Russian, Polish, Hungarian, Greek, Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Urdu, Farsi, Hebrew, Swahili, Zulu, Xhosa, Maori, Samoan, Hawaiian, Navajo, Cree, Inuktitut, Quechua, Aymara, Nahuatl , Maya , Guarani , Mapuche , Quechuan-Aymara bilingual edition [41]. The book has also been