What is so important about the Gathering of Indigenous Women Researchers?
Intercultural research is a process of epistemological deconstruction and decolonization that emerges from the cosmofeeling, cosmothinking and cosmoknowledge of the Indigenous Peoples. It was born as a response to the epistemic injustice around the validity of ancestral knowledge, which has been one of the forms of oppression and domination of the colonial system.
The Gathering of Indigenous Women Researchers with different actors in research and knowledge production will help strengthen and better position those research processes that are based on the priorities of Indigenous Women. They are founded on commitments, responsibilities and collective actions carried as Indigenous Women, as indigenous researchers and academics in universities and research centres, for the deconstruction of the hegemonic epistemology and for the articulation and political advocacy in the defence of the individual and collective rights of the Indigenous Women, Girls and Youth of the world, and of Mother Earth.
By participating in the round tables, researchers from different backgrounds and academic traditions will be able to exchange experiences and reflections related to the methodological challenges they face in the course of their research, thus contributing to strengthening this approach and its political and transformative potential.
How can I register to participate in the meeting?
By filling out the online registration form available through this link click here, according to the category to which you belong.
Which participant category do I belong to?
Women researchers of FIMI’s Research Program.
Current or former participants of FIMI’s Research and Issues of Impact on the Lives of Indigenous Women Program
Indigenous researchers:
- Indigenous Women members of Indigenous Women’s organizations.
- People actively involved in mixed organizations and networks of Indigenous Peoples that carry out research activities specifically directed at Indigenous Women.
Academics:
Independent researchers or researchers affiliated with a university or research centre whose work is related to the issues addressed at the Gathering.
Experts from the international community:
Representatives of International Organizations and United Nations agencies, Special Rapporteurs of the United Nations specialized on the rights and Indigenous Women.
Special guests:
Indigenous Women leaders with extensive experience, with expertise in the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Women, donors.
What should I include in my presentation abstract?
Each abstract should have a total of 500 words.
It should consist of a summary of the methodology applied in your research, explaining why you consider it to be culturally relevant (500 words).
Will my presentation be published?
After the Gathering, the most relevant contributions and inputs from the discussions will be compiled in a document as a way to strengthen and promote the intercultural methodology for advocacy. The presentations as such will not be published, but the participants of the Gathering will be mentioned.
What are the themes of the Gathering?
In order to highlight the results achieved through intercultural methodology, as well as to generate constructive and enriching exchanges between FIMI graduates and researchers from different backgrounds and academic traditions, there will be round tables where each researcher will have the opportunity to present their experiences and reflections surrounding the methodology applied in their research. The presentations will have to be articulated around the following thematic axes:
- Why intercultural research? Objectives, implementation and transformative and political perspectives
- From decolonial theory to transformative intercultural practice: Research for advocacy
- Challenges of intercultural research and its importance for current and future research
- Overcoming the hegemonic academic paradigm to decolonize knowledge and power: what is the political intention of my research? What is the political intention of the women, community or peoples where I am carrying out the research? What is the cosmogonic and political foundation of my research?
- From decolonial theory to transformative practice: To what extent can my research influence and transform my reality and that of the women in my community / the Indigenous Women with whom I worked? What transformations resulted from my research, for the community as well as on a personal level? Where is my research today and what is happening with the participating community and women? Was the proposal, advocacy plan or recommendations of the research successfully implemented? How did the process unfold? What is of my research today?
- Intercultural methodology and its implementation in a field study: what was the focus of my research methodology? What is intercultural methodology for me, and how did I implement it in my research? What participatory methodologies did I implement, with which actors? Where do the Indigenous Women who participated in the research stand after the field work and in the final study? What elements of this methodology or research make it intercultural?
- What challenges and best practices can we identify in community research led by non-indigenous and Indigenous Women? What lessons can you draw from your experience as an indigenous and intercultural researcher? What lessons can you draw as a non-indigenous researcher in working with Indigenous Women and their peoples? What do you recommend to contribute to decolonial and intercultural research?
I am trying to fill out the online form, but it is not working. What can I do?
Please send an email to investigacion@iiwf.org and we will help you solve the problem.
What happens after I fill out and submit the online registration form as a speaker at the Gathering of Indigenous Researchers?
There will be a limited number of participants for the Gathering. Each registration will thus be evaluated, particularly those requesting a scholarship. All persons will be notified of the final status of their registration.
I am interested in participating, but I cannot cover the travel and/or accommodation expenses. Can I apply for a scholarship? What expenses do the scholarship cover?
If you are an Indigenous Woman, you can apply for a scholarship through the registration form.
The scholarships only cover food, accommodation and local transportation in the host country of the Gathering.
Do you have to be an Indigenous Woman to participate in the Gathering?
Priority will be given to Indigenous Women, but the Gathering is open to all actors from the world of research or knowledge production related to the rights of Indigenous Women at the local, regional and international levels. If you have any questions about the topics that will be addressed during the Gathering, you can read through the frequently asked questions.
In what languages will the Gathering take place?
An interpretation service will be available at the Gathering in the following languages: English, French and Spanish. To help us anticipate the needs of each table, it is important that you specify your language on the registration form.
What is the meaning of the event’s logo?
Birds are part of our cultures, as they inhabit both earth and sky. They fly over long distances, beyond human borders. They are a symbol of transmission and dissemination of knowledge. They contribute to the care of Mother Earth as sowers of life. The seven colours incorporated into the logo represent the seven sociocultural regions that make up the Indigenous Women’s movement.
