Indigenous research sovereignty within academia: Challenges and opportunities

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.