Research reflexivity: A journey of unlearning and co-learning

Abstract

Indigenous art markets in Australia are highly dynamic. Current literature on Australian Indigenous art markets reveals that they comprise of different stakeholders’ groups, including Indigenous artists, Indigenous communities, art intermediaries, community art centres, consumers, and art collectors. Upon reflecting on the settler colonial history in Australia that consists of continuous erasure of Indigenous people and their ways of life, it became important that I adopt a research trajectory that is participative, collaborative and culturally sensitive. In this paper, I justify the importance of conducting participative action research which shares the spirit of the postcolonial and decolonization movements. Particularly, these movements advocate for an unlearning process that involves relinquishing of power. Then, I outline my research process that involves co-learning with different stakeholders’ groups through informal and formal field work. Lastly, I provide my reflexive account of my positionality as a non-Indigenous researcher conducting research with Indigenous people and cultures.