Negotiated methodologies: Designing research respectful of academic and Indigenous traditions

When working with minority or underrepresented groups and
communities, one of the first thoughts of a researcher, as well as of those groups and communities, is sourcing a 'culturally safe' research design - a concern for both researchers and communities. During research with Indigenous peoples in Australia, this thought must be embedded into the research agenda and any guidelines for culturally and ethically based research. Certainly it was at
the forefront of my thinking when commencing my own doctoral research,
but there was more to it - I wanted a research design that was respectful
of both Koorie community and academic traditions. It required constant
negotiations to find similarities and differences that could and would work
together to achieve this underlying aim. This chapter provides a review of
that research - 'Narratives of Koorie Victoria'. It describes and discusses my
journey of negotiating the methodological approach I used, including the
development of my research question, the paradigm that shaped and
directed the scope, design, and method, and my personal reflections on this
research six years on.