Raising Research Consciousness the Fa'aSamoa Way

Abstract

For too long non-Western indigenous researchers have been limited in their research because of the “scholarship” attached to ethnocentric and culturally insensitive methodological frameworks. This paper highlights the very rich experiences of the author’s alternative methodology in the Samoan context, and argues the need for the world of Western academia to acknowledge “other” cultures’ perception of scholarship and knowledge. It focuses on the necessity for both non-indigenous and indigenous researchers to take into consideration the culture of participants, and to incorporate their culture into the methodological framework and written text.