28 March 2025 | 08:30 - 10:00 (MDT)
Open Session - HYBRID
Room: Glen Miller Ballroom in UMC - 210/212
Organisers: Evie Morin (Research Institute for Sustainability); Aslak Holmberg (Saami Council); Ikaarvik
Zoom link to the Session (password-protected)
The password needed to connect to the session will be distributed the day prior to the start of the sessions to all registered conference participants. Further guidelines on how to participate virtually in the ASSW 2025 can be found on the ASSW 2025 website.
Session Description:
There is a need to decolonize and Indigenize Arctic research. Recent co-creative projects illustrate how improved collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners benefits all. Today, some funding guidelines explicitly require co-creative approaches; however, good intentions do not guarantee ethical projects and these terms risk becoming box-ticking exercises, obscuring continued exploitative practices. In other cases, continued support for ethical collaboration is uncertain, despite researchers’ desires to build respectful, trust-based working relationships. Dominant Arctic research requires a better understanding of ‘co-creative’ and ‘Indigenous-led’ research and a clearer grasp on the structural and practical requirements to uphold Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination.
A group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous co-authors recently developed two documents with recommendations to address challenges and ethical concerns in Arctic research: the Comprehensive Policy Brief to the EU Commission - Roadmap to Decolonial Arctic Research (Herrmann et al., 2023) and Towards Arctic Research Upholding Indigenous Peoples’ Rights: Recommendations for ICARP IV, the International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (Holmberg et al., 2024). Topics include Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination; ethics, methods, and methodology; Indigenous-led research in design and practice; Indigenous Peoples’ co-equal participation in funding structures and decision-making; and funding for co-creative and Indigenous-led research.
This session will explore the evolving context of co-creation in research, including shifts in funding and priorities. To address these challenges, key messages from these documents will be shared, along with insights from conference sessions and questionnaires on experiences with implementing these recommendations from across the Arctic.
Speakers:
- Evie Morin (Research Institute for Sustainability)
- Aslak Holmberg (Saami Council)
- Representative from Ikaarvik
- Charleen Fisher (University of Alaska Fairbanks)
- Rune Fjellheim (Saami Council)
- Annette Scheepstra (University of Groningen