Paper short abstract:

With the purpose of building just development futures for Indigenous populations in Latin America, a recent research project grew from initial conversations with diverse Indigenous female leaders. In this paper, I critically reflect on the subsequent research process and its contradictory outcomes.

Paper long abstract:

Research with Indigenous groups in Latin America has largely occurred within colonial approaches to knowledge production. Recent initiatives to challenge and decolonize research dynamics, with collaborations across lines of nationality, race-ethnicity, class and educational qualifications, have made important inroads into shifting power relations. This paper describes the process of attempting an equitable research collaboration with Indigenous women elected leaders and grassroots communities in Ecuador, with the aim of centering their experiences and knowledges in development. The paper describes the methods, as well as my assumptions and behaviours, used in the research process, and highlights the importance of key interlocutors and pre-existing relationships with key organisations. The paper provides an opportunity to reflect on what worked and what didn't, as well as a critical self-reflection on how my approach to decolonizing objectives has been transformed since that research 15 years ago. The paper highlights the need for deliberate and considered decolonial objectives at every stage of the research cycle and full transparency, while keeping in mind that decolonizing processes are inherently dynamic and context-specific.