In reflecting on this seminar, I was drawn to the ideas of Dr Tiatia-Seath as researchers being leaders who serve. This idea was illustrated by a Samoan proverb she shared with us ‘to be a leader one must serve.’
Although the idea of leadership through service is not unique to Samoa, I thought that using principles of leadership was of real value to inform our research process. Through asking ourselves the question of who we are serving and how we are serving them during the researching process, we are analysing the power researcher’s hold in telling other people’s stories.
Through linking servitude to research, it stresses the importance of this connection between the researcher and the researched. A relationship which often has a power imbalance, with researchers often choosing subjects who are less socially powerful than themselves.1 Dr Tiatia-Seath’s approach recognises the power that researchers hold, they are leaders, but it uses that power to serve rather than exploit that imbalance. This is an approach which may reverse the current tendency of research to reinforce power imbalances and reproduce privilege and disadvantage. 2 By using a researcher’s position of power to serve and empower those they research the process and the story becomes both justifiable and credible.
I know that as I look to potential areas of research over this year, I’ll be asking myself who it will serve and how it will serve them.
- McIntosh, “Māori and Cross-cultural Research: Criticality, Ethicality and Generosity,” 62.
- McIntosh, “Māori and Cross-cultural Research: Criticality, Ethicality and Generosity,” 62.
