Researchers, Indigenous Peoples, and Place-Based Learning Communities

Abstract Relations between external researchers and indigenous communities have been increasingly strained by differences in understanding and in expectation about the relevance of research. In the field of resource management, the potential for conflict over research is increased by the politics surrounding control over the resource management decision making processes. In this article, we propose the creation of dialogic networks that engage researchers and indigenous people as collaborators in a process of knowledge production. Such an applied research process can produce context-specific knowledge networks that support management and planning decisions by indigenous people; these networks we refer to as place-based learning communities. We present a researcher's perspective on this approach through our experience with the Shoal Lake Resource Institute of Iskatewizaagegan No. 39 Independent First Nation located in northwestern Ontario. Keywords: applied researchCanadaFirst Nationsindigenous peoplesnew research approachesplace-based learning communities This research succeeded in large part through cooperation with the Shoal Lake Resource Institute, the Chiefs and Councils of IIFN and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Financial support was provided by the Sustainable Forest Management Network (SFMN) and by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).