Department of Gender Studies

This guide arose out of a collaborative research project that investigated climate change and the role of Indigenous peoples’ knowledge in assisting communities adapting to climate change. The project involved members of Indigenous Nama and Griqua communities in South Africa (community leaders, elders, youth, and co-researchers) and researchers from Natural Justice, the University of Cape Town, and Indiana University-Bloomington (USA). During our conversations, some members of Nama and Griqua raised concerns about research processes in general. As expert knowers in how research and knowledge has historically been produced involving indigenous peoples, they articulated the inherent conflicts that arise when participating in research that is designed and led by those outside of their community. Some Nama and Griqua noted that although their communities have a culture of sharing, they were hesitant to share their knowledge with researchers because of the risks involved, which might include losing control over how their knowledge would be used and how their communities would be portrayed. Furthermore, they expressed concern that their contributions to research in the past had been left unacknowledged by researchers who failed to share benefits with them and did little to establish trust. Despite these concerns and past experiences with researchers, however, several Nama and Griqua stated that they did not want to exclude external researchers completely, rather they wanted to develop more equitable and socially-just processes so that they could engage with prospective researchers on their own terms. 

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