Fracturing the Colonial Paradigm: Indigenous Epistemologies and Methodologies

Abstract

This article explores the epistemological and methodological challenges posed by Indigenous peoples to the sociology of deviance, and in particular the field of criminology. The article argues that there has emerged a comprehensive challenge by Indigenous intellectuals and activists to Western social science paradigms. We set out the major concerns of Indigenous scholars, including the fundamental importance of colonialism, the role of Indigenous human rights in research, and the significance Indigenous ontologies, epistemologies and research ethics.

Keywords: Indigenous peoples, Indigenous research, colonialism, epistemology, methodology, sociology of deviance, criminology