The ‘researched’ as bearers of knowledge: breaking the barriers of colonial practices in ethnography

• In Event: Ethical challenges in qualitative research: feminist, decolonial and bottom-up paths toward change

Abstract

Early anthropological research in Crete, conducted by Anglo-Saxon scholars, sought to explain the culture of mountain natives through meticulous ethnographic fieldwork, primarily using participant observation. Later, local researchers adopted similar methods while incorporating document analysis to study patterns of customary law in the Cretan context. However, ethnography has long faced criticism for its colonial roots and links. This presentation asks: to what extent does ethnography authentically represent cultures when local voices are documented through unfamiliar, externally imposed research practices and interpreted through a northern lens?
Indigenous research methodologies advocate for participatory approaches that foreground the worldviews and ethical principles of the communities under study. Drawing from my doctoral research, this presentation illustrates how the cultural temperament, knowledge systems, and norms of Cretan highlanders shape data collection methods and research approaches, leading the process of knowledge production. The findings suggest that in a cultural context like Mountain Crete, living ethnography—immersing oneself in the local way of life with natives leading data collection—proves to be a more ethical and effective alternative to merely doing ethnography. This approach fosters a deeper understanding of why local communities favour customary systems of justice and how they practice them. By adopting research practices familiar to the people being studied, we challenge the universality of conventional methodologies and contribute to the democratisation of knowledge production.

Author

• Leah Koumentaki, Keele University