Book
Working in Research: A Practical Guide and Workbook for Māori
📖 Overview
Working in Research: A Practical Guide and Workbook for Māori provides a framework for Indigenous researchers navigating Western academic systems. The book serves as both an instructional text and a hands-on workbook designed for Māori scholars and practitioners.
Author Linda Tuhiwai Smith draws from decades of experience in academia to address the specific challenges and opportunities facing Māori researchers. The text includes practical exercises, reflection prompts, and strategic planning tools that connect traditional Māori knowledge systems with contemporary research methodologies.
The guide tackles core research concepts while centering Indigenous perspectives and culturally responsive approaches. Throughout the book, Smith integrates te reo Māori language and tikanga Māori cultural protocols with academic research practices.
This work represents a bridge between Indigenous and Western academic traditions, examining how Māori researchers can maintain cultural integrity while engaging with institutional research structures.
👀 Reviews
There are not enough internet reviews to create a summary of this book. Instead, here is a summary of reviews of Linda Tuhiwai Smith's overall work:
Readers describe Smith's "Decolonizing Methodologies" as transformative in their understanding of research methods and colonial impacts. The text has over 23,000 citations on Google Scholar.
What readers liked:
- Clear explanations of complex theoretical concepts
- Practical frameworks for conducting ethical research with indigenous communities
- Personal examples that ground academic concepts
- Strong critique of Western research traditions
What readers disliked:
- Dense academic language can be challenging for non-academic readers
- Some found the tone too confrontational toward Western methodologies
- Repetitive sections in later chapters
Ratings:
- Goodreads: 4.34/5 from 1,812 ratings
- Amazon: 4.7/5 from 356 reviews
One PhD student noted: "This book changed how I approach my entire research practice." A critical review on Amazon stated: "Important ideas but could be more accessible to general audiences."
Students particularly value the 25 indigenous projects outlined in Chapter 8 as concrete examples for application.
📚 Similar books
Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples by Linda Tuhiwai Smith
This text presents Indigenous research methodologies and critiques Western research paradigms through a Māori and Indigenous lens.
Indigenous Research Methodologies by Bagele Chilisa The book provides frameworks for conducting research using Indigenous knowledge systems and methodologies from African, Asian, Pacific, and American perspectives.
Research Is Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods by Shawn Wilson The text explores Indigenous research paradigms through relational accountability and traditional knowledge systems of the Cree people.
Indigenous Statistics: A Quantitative Research Methodology by Maggie Walter and Chris Andersen This work presents quantitative methods through an Indigenous lens and demonstrates how to conduct statistical research that serves Indigenous communities.
Kaupapa Māori: The Living and Learning Journey by Leonie Pihama and Jenny Lee-Morgan The book examines Māori research principles and methodologies through practical applications in education and community research.
Indigenous Research Methodologies by Bagele Chilisa The book provides frameworks for conducting research using Indigenous knowledge systems and methodologies from African, Asian, Pacific, and American perspectives.
Research Is Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods by Shawn Wilson The text explores Indigenous research paradigms through relational accountability and traditional knowledge systems of the Cree people.
Indigenous Statistics: A Quantitative Research Methodology by Maggie Walter and Chris Andersen This work presents quantitative methods through an Indigenous lens and demonstrates how to conduct statistical research that serves Indigenous communities.
Kaupapa Māori: The Living and Learning Journey by Leonie Pihama and Jenny Lee-Morgan The book examines Māori research principles and methodologies through practical applications in education and community research.
🤔 Interesting facts
🔍 Linda Tuhiwai Smith is one of New Zealand's most influential Māori scholars and her work has been cited over 41,000 times in academic publications.
📚 The book emerged from decades of teaching research methodologies to Māori students and addresses the unique challenges indigenous researchers face when working within Western academic frameworks.
🌍 Smith's concepts of "decolonizing methodologies" have influenced indigenous research practices worldwide, from Australia to Canada to South America.
🎓 The author developed this practical guide after observing that many Māori students and researchers felt alienated by traditional academic research methods that didn't align with their cultural values and ways of knowing.
🤝 The workbook format includes specific exercises and reflection points designed to help Māori researchers bridge traditional knowledge systems with contemporary research practices while maintaining cultural integrity.