http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-2.xsd
Exploring emancipation of indigenous research methods
a presentation of a case study of AmaBomvane
Observation is one of the Indigenous research methods (IRMs) used by Indigenous peoples to interpret their world and to contribute to the development of local Indigenous knowledge systems. These IRMs require established research methodologies such as qualitative enquiry for affirmation. This case study aims to explore how IRMs can be affirmed and emancipated by using established research methodologies. The study setting is in KwaBomvane in Elliotdale, a rural area in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The gatekeeper of this area proposed that religion, education, and biomedicine had lowered the health and well-being of their villages. This concerned me as a researcher in the area because I expected the three areas to improve health indicators. Despite this concern, I continued with research that explored the health problems managed by older Xhosa women in their home situation with a focus on Indigenous knowledge systems. I collected data using qualitative research methods in four focus group discussions with 36 purposefully selected older Xhosa women. I conducted Sixteen in-depth interviews with Indigenous health knowledge women experts and their family members to affirm findings. Biographies that foregrounded the life plots of health and illness of AmaBomvane emerged from narrative analysis and analysis of narratives. The study outcome affirmed the observation of the gatekeeper because the older Xhosa women were able to attest that the health status of AmaBomvane was poor and that the three areas mentioned by the gatekeeper seem to have contributed to this poor health status.
SAGE Research methods: diversifying and decolonizing research