Indigenous research sovereignty within academia: Challenges and opportunities
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Indigenous Peoples' inherent right to self-determination includes authority over research, yet university systems centralize control in ways that constrain Indigenous sovereignty. This article examines how academic institutional structures and processes-well beyond the actions of individual researchers-shape the possibilities and limitations of Indigenous-focused research within universities. Drawing on a collaborative, story-based process involving Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers working with Indigenous communities across diverse regions and contexts internationally, we synthesize shared experiences to identify recurrent challenges and the systemic conditions that produce them. We describe both barriers and solutions within five themes: governance, institutional fit, burden, capacity, and relationships. Examples of barriers include paternalizing ethics boards, cumbersome financial systems, rigid timelines, and narrow evaluation metrics, which often conflict with community-defined governance and relational approaches to research. Examples of solutions include Indigenous-governed funding pathways, community ethics bodies, Indigenous-led research units, and institution-level efforts to embed relational accountability. We argue that strengthening Indigenous research sovereignty requires universities and funders to redesign their infrastructures (not simply adjust procedures), meaningfully share authority, align practices with Indigenous governance, and support long-term relationship building. By centering community leadership and relational accountability, universities can move beyond symbolic or superficial commitments to Indigenous self-determination in research, toward research environments rooted in respect, reciprocity, and community-defined outcomes.
Source: SSM - Mental Health
Authors: Sophie J. Blackmore, Natalia Gala, Hannah Fraser-Purdy, Ireland C. Moore, Darah Olaogun, Danielle Ovtsyn, Cole Allick, Kristin Arola, Clive Aspin, Jacob A. Burack, Amélie Blanchet Garneau, Aimee N.C. Campbell, Iloradanon H. Efimoff, Anna Kawennison Fetter, Joseph P. Gone, Brenna L. Greenfield, Srividya N. Iyer, Laurence J. Kirmayer, Frankie B. Kropp, Carolyn Melro, Lonnie A. Nelson, Roisin M. O'Connor, Jocelyn Paul, Morgan Kahentonni Phillips, Tara Pride, Monica C. Skewes, Jon Petter Anders Stoor, Marie-Claude Tremblay, Jessica Saniguq Ullrich, Melissa L. Walls, Donald Warne, Dennis C. Wendt
Institutions: Douglas Mental Health University Institute, ACCESS Open Minds, McGill University, Washington State University Spokane, Michigan State University, Victoria University of Wellington, Centre de recherche en santé publique, Université de Montréal, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Toronto Metropolitan University, Duke University, Duke Medical Center, Harvard University, University of Minnesota, University of Minnesota, Duluth, University of Cincinnati, University of Ottawa, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Concordia University, Dalhousie University, Montana State University, Umeå University, Université Laval, VITAM - Centre de recherche en santé durable, Johns Hopkins University
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,540
OpenAlex ID: W7155519243