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Centre for Discourse Analysis May 14 th , 2007

Centre for Discourse Analysis May 14 th , 2007. Methodological, Conceptual and Theoretical Reflections when doing Research among/with Ethnic Minority Groups Annette Kanstrup-Jensen Centre for Development and International Relations Faculty of Social Sciences, AAU.

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Centre for Discourse Analysis May 14 th , 2007

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  1. Centre for Discourse Analysis May 14th, 2007 Methodological, Conceptual and Theoretical Reflections when doing Research among/with Ethnic Minority Groups Annette Kanstrup-Jensen Centre for Development and International Relations Faculty of Social Sciences, AAU

  2. PhD: ”Development Theory and the Ethnicity Question – The Cases of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Thailand” (Research Framework: Education and Human Development)

  3. Indigeneity: ”Indigenous populations are composed of the existing descendants of peoples who inhabited the present territory of a country wholly or partially at the time when persons of a different culture or ethnic origin arrived from other parts of the world, overcame them, and by conquest, settlements or other means, reduced them to a non-dominant or colonial situation; who today live more in conformity with their particular social, economic and cultural customs and traditions rather than with the institutions of the country of which they now form a part, under a state structure which incorporates mainly the national, social and cultural characteristics of other segments of the population which are predominant” (Karena Shaw 2002: ”Indigeneity and the International”, Journal of International Studies Vol.31 No 1,pp.55-81)

  4. Methodological Reflections • ”reversals in learning” ”have you come to ask me, normally they come and tell us what to do” (Sohtou, Ban Houaytoumay, Lao PDR) • “ whose side are we on” - authenticity in the relationship - trustworthiness - the dichotomy of knowledge - power equalisation - ethics - political process

  5. Conceptual Reflections: The Dichotomy between Western Paradigms and Indigenous Epistemology • Cultural ethnocentrism:Modern traditional(”stereotypification” of non-Western cultures) (linguistic and conceptual ignorance of non-Western cultures) (reification of researched groups) • Epistemological ethnocentrism:Education equates schooling (de-legitimisation of non-Western learning) (hierarchy of knowledge /horizontal vs. vertical ordering of different but equally valid systems)

  6. Theoretical Reflections (1) ”Theory is always for some one, and for some purpose” (Robert Cox) • Marginalised populations groups “Human RightsHeterogeneity in so-called developing countries Rationale Theories” _________________________ • Why do established theories fail to explain the situation of indigenous peoples? 2. How do ideas from grounded theory offer help in re-visiting the concept of theory?

  7. Theoretical reflections (2) Ad 1) • conceptual and cultural arrogance • atomisation of modes of explanation Ad 2) • the raison d’être of theories is about making sense of the world • collected data constitute the pivotal point in any study (not how but who should build the theory)

  8. How to avoid a methodological, conceptual and theoretical void ? • de-colonisation of development theories • dissolution between theory and methodology • validation of indigenous discourses (endogenous..) • accept of cultural heterogeneity as a counterhegemonic reality ”…pour qu’ils aient du contact avec la civilisation” (General Director of Primary Education, Lao PDR) “…il ne faut pas les laisser dans des musées” (Vice-minister of Education, Lao PDR)

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