Positionality and Research: Reid Publishes Article on “Two-Eyed Seeing”

Brady Reid, PhD in Rural Studies student, recently published an article in the International Journal of Qualitative Methods entitled: “Positionality and Research: “Two-Eyed Seeing” With a Rural Ktaqmkuk Mi’kmaw Community”. The article originated as the second chapter of Reid’s master’s thesis and shares insights emerging from the project presented for researchers engaged with Indigenous communities or collaborators. Based in western Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland), this article challenges prescribed notions of identity as defined by the Indian Act through the “status Indian” designation. Reid received his card as a status Indian as a teenager when the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation was recognized in 2011; however, he self-identifies in the paper as a non-Indigenous researcher. The article draws on and shares parts of his journey of identity, focusing on the researcher’s positionality in research and suggests deeper self-reflection in a contemporary context.

This study was a collaborative project in the Mi’kmaw community of Ewipkek (Flat Bay) through the No’kmaq Village Band and Elder Calvin White, a known champion of Mi’kmaw rights in the province. The paper presents current approaches, principles, and considerations for researchers working with Indigenous communities, drawing from both academic literature and the collaborative experience working with the community of Ewipkek. This project describes the different characteristics of a Western research paradigm versus an Indigenous research paradigm that can support the application of the conceptual framework “Two-Eyed Seeing”.

Image:  Brady Reid, PhD in Rural Studies candidate

Reid continues exploring his own identity as a Rural Studies PhD student within SEDRD, working with Dr. Sheri Longboat and Dr. Nicolas Brunet on a SSHRC funded project entitled “Global Minerals Local Communities”.   The research team seeks to investigate mine-community relations in northern Ontario, working with communities impacted by the ongoing push for development within the “Ring of Fire” mineral cache, near the headwaters of the Attawapiskat River.