Gareth Loudon reflects on insights gained from discussions at the Indigenous Research Methods Workshop in Brazil, held at Casa Rio and Museu do Índio in Rio de Janeiro from the 19th to the 23rd March 2019, a partnership between the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the People’s Palace Projects (People’s Palace Projects, 2021). The workshop in Brazil brought together researchers who had undertaken twelve different collaborative indigenous research projects across ten different countries (Brazil, Colombia, India, Mongolia, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea and Dominica). The focus of the workshop was to discuss issues relating to indigenous engagement, research partnerships and knowledge mobilisation.

Gareth Loudon highlights some of the key themes arising from the workshop including issues raised relating to self-determination; the importance of creating tangible benefits for indigenous communities; the role of interdisciplinary research; and the emphasis on building capabilities. Gareth then goes on to give a brief explanation of why he believes that human-centred design principles and practices can be effective in addressing these key themes, with an example of work undertaken by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham with an indigenous community in India. Finally, he addresses some of the challenges raised at the workshop and suggests possible ways forward for the field.