Indigenous research: whose priority? Journeys and possibilities of cross-cultural research in geography

Decolonising research in geography is part of a broader 'reflexive' process which continues to question the positivist status of 'researcher as observer'. This paper contributes to this reflexive turn, drawing on the particular experiences of a cross-cultural Honours thesis. The paper is pursued through a parallel journey involving a non-Indigenous researcher (and author of the cross-cultural Honours thesis) engaging Indigenous research¹ with interpretative insight from an Indigenous adviser or 'on-looker'. The methodological difficulties revealed by the parallel journey are emphasised to highlight both the complexities and reflexive possibilities of cross-cultural research but also to consider potential institutional and pedagogic implications that stem from the experience. One of the substantial findings of the paper is that, by linking Indigenous community priorities to research and coursework, conventional (and often unequal) research relations are minimised and colonising tendencies reduced. By challenging the conventional way that cross-cultural research is conceived, and the way that institutional practices and research frameworks are implemented, geographers can continue their prolonged and complex efforts at decolonisation of the field and their own practices