Beyond Methods and Diversity: The Roots of Inclusion
Summary
Most efforts at advancing research to be more inclusive focus on methods or methodologies or participation. Though helpful, those efforts have unfortunately not been sufficient for inclusion and we continue to be constrained by stronger forces which go to the root of what research means and the definition of inclusion. To be fully unconstrained and reach true inclusion we must learn to let go. Do we have the ability to do that? Let's talk about that. Join us for a half-hour of becoming undone, joyfully.
Key Insights
-
•
Diversity in research teams does not inherently guarantee inclusivity or counter systemic oppression.
-
•
Awareness of power and identity positionality often leads to feeling stuck without clear action steps.
-
•
Our ways of being deeply shape our epistemologies and methodologies in research.
-
•
Colonial Western ways of being emphasize objectification and individualism, limiting emancipatory knowledge production.
-
•
Indigenous knowledge systems, like those of the iBio people, view knowledge as relational and emergent from relationships.
-
•
Songs and oral traditions can serve as valid research methodologies tied to indigenous ways of knowing.
-
•
Systems of value influence which knowledge is considered legitimate or beneficial, often marginalizing community knowledge.
-
•
Immigrant communities bring preserved ways of being that produce measurable health and social benefits.
-
•
Positive deviance in communities reveals untapped local wisdom that can guide effective interventions.
-
•
Radical participatory research requires researchers to relinquish control and let communities define methods based on their own ways of being.
Notable Quotes
"If diversity alone made research inclusive, then police could never be anti-black because they include black officers."
"Whiteness isn’t about color; people of all colors can reinforce white supremacy."
"Awareness leads to feeling stuck because we don’t know what to do or don’t feel empowered to act."
"Our ways of being are roots that grow into ways of knowing, doing, and methods, all nourished by systems of value."
"In Western modernity, if something is not an object, it is not real research or real knowledge."
"For the iBio people, knowledge is relational, not objectified, emerging from relationships like songs."
"Songs become methodologies—the way you identify who is at the door is through the song they sing."
"Colonial ways of being, knowing, and valuing will never produce emancipatory methodologies."
"Community-rooted wisdom like the Mexican 'guana' practice reduces postpartum depression without traditional research."
"Will you learn to let go? Better yet, will you let go?"
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Unless it’s designed for digital use it’s not going to get widely shared throughout the organization."
Sean DolanA Practical Look at Creating More Usable Enterprise Customer Journeys
October 31, 2019
"Legacy is a gift: gifts of insight, leadership, experience that last long beyond anyone remembering who gave them."
Mark TempletonCreating a Legacy: the ultimate experience
June 9, 2017
"Mental health, systems of oppression, and racial justice should have been normal conversations at work all along."
Ariba JahanTeam Resiliency Through a Pandemic
January 8, 2024
"Simple, low-fi prototyping tools can get you tons of feedback without much upfront design work."
JP Allen Holly HoldenNavigating the UX Tools Landscape
October 1, 2021
"Resiliency is not necessarily how we react to challenges, but how we move beyond them."
Dave MaloufTheme 3: Introduction and Provocation
January 8, 2024
"Leadership is about being a transparent umbrella, shielding teams from chaos while keeping them informed."
Ted NewardTheme 4: Enterprise Organizational Journey
June 4, 2019
"Centralized teams can become 'no machines' when overwhelmed with requests, needing to prioritize carefully."
Janelle EstesUX Research Trends
January 28, 2021
"For many organizations, research is really not embedded completely and consistently into the development process."
Caroline VizeThe State of UX: Five Lessons from 2021 to Accelerate Digital Experience in 2022
March 9, 2022
"It’s critical to create space between projects so teams can decompress; jumping from one trauma-heavy project to another isn’t sustainable."
Brian MossWhat Does it Mean to be a Resilient Research Team?
March 9, 2022