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
"UX design ranked number 13 on LinkedIn’s ’Jobs on the Rise’ list in 2021."
Dana Bishop2022: The Year UX Demonstrates its Business Impact
March 11, 2022
"It's okay to try and mess up your OKRs in the first few quarters and learn from it."
Bria Alexander Benson Low Natalya Pemberton Stephanie GoldthorpeOKRs—Helpful or Harmful?
January 20, 2022
"You don’t get anyone to do anything."
Matt LeMayYou Don’t “Get” Anyone to Do Anything
December 6, 2022
"We have to ask the question what if it goes wrong? Because causing even intangible, emotional pain is harm."
Dan WillisEnterprise Storytelling Sessions
June 8, 2016
"The biggest challenge of a project is building a solution that’s going to be adopted company-wide."
Sol MeszHands or Brains? How to Hire for Strategy, Strategically
January 8, 2024
"How does the money we make align with our public sector values and make our organization the one we want to be?"
Chelsea MauldinLet's Talk About Money
November 17, 2022
"Work is your real life. Friendships make the office a safe, happy, fun place to be."
Dorelle RabinowitzThe Magic Word is Trust
June 15, 2018
"Let’s all advocate for AI products and processes that keep the human at the center."
Llewyn PaineDay 1 Using AI in UX with Impact
June 10, 2025
"Legislation like the US executive order on federal customer experience has helped us rebuild trust in government."
Kara KaneTheme One Intro
November 16, 2022