CIR Digital Garden — Tkaronto CIRCLE Lab

Collaborative Indigenous Research Digital Garden

Letter by Dr. Eve Tuck

On November 15, The Tkaronto CIRCLE Lab will launch the Collaborative Indigenous Research Digital Garden. This is a centerpiece research activity of my Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Methodologies with Youth and Communities, and nearly five years in the making. It is a web based repository of examples from around the globe of collaborative and participatory research studies done in collaboration with Indigenous communities, often with Indigenous communities and researchers taking the lead.The best part is, the repository itself is participatory, and once it is launched, researchers around the world will be able to add their own studies. The goal for the digital garden is to grow the practice of collaborative Indigenous research by providing inspiring examples, and a platform for established and newcomer practitioners to share their work.

We worked with an international advisory board of 15 scholars, among whom are the most respected researchers in participatory and Indigenous methodologies. A huge OISE-based team, include graduate students and Education Commons worked for years to build the site, which began with a literature review of nearly 1000 studies, the preparation of nearly 200 profiles, and the intuitive design of the digital garden itself. The Digital garden is an interactive website for users to learn about collaborative Indigenous research across disciplines and approaches.

I am thrilled that we are nearly ready to launch the site. This is a crucial component of my hopes for the field of Collaborative Indigenous Research, to allow for the growth of ethical, community engaged research for Indigenous futures. I would welcome the chance to speak with any member of the media about the launch, so that it can be a coordinated effort to share this research and resource.

Web address of Collaborative Indigenous Research Digital Garden https://www.collaborativeindigenousresearch.com/