German Anthropological Association Conference on Contested Knowledge: Anthropological Perspectives

In response to the growing interest from social and natural scientists conducting research in Arctic Indigenous homelands—and the legacy of colonial knowledge exploitation that fails to return findings in a meaningful way to Indigenous communities—as well as the increasing number of Indigenous-endorsed guidelines for ethical and collaborative research, Gertrude Saxinger, along with other partners, convened a workshop session at the German Anthropological Association on Contested Knowledge: Anthropological Perspectives. The workshop invited global contributions for mutual learning and deep discussions on decolonial research methodologies, knowledge co-creation, ethics, and collaborative practices in Arctic research, highlighting the need for equitable relationships between scientists and Indigenous rightsholders.

Session presentations focused on decolonial and co-creative research methodologies in Arctic Indigenous contexts, exploring themes such as defining Inuit knowledge, ethnographic refusal, co-development of research, relational accountability in Sámi tourism, and reimagining tourism through decolonial practices. The co-design and coordination of European polar research were also discussed within a framework that seeks to align with these decolonial principles.

Additional partners also contributed to this project. For more details on this project and their involvement, please visit the links provided.