Collaborative Research: Gender, Environment, and Change: Exploring Shifting Roles in an Inupiat Community

University Of Alaska Fairbanks Campus, Fairbanks AK

Investigators

Abstract

This environmental anthropology study will provide a detailed ethnographic picture of the ways in which Alaska Native communities are responding to global challenges while at the same time retaining and practicing their core indigenous values in the face of many uncertainties. Previous research has identified indigenous groups and women as some of the most vulnerable populations affected by pronounced political, economic, and environmental shifts. In this study the researchs seek to examine gendered responses to the processes of globalization and significant social-environmental change and the shifting roles of women in the midst of such changes. This research will provide an in-depth study of the gendered, multigenerational responses to specific contemporary changes in Barrow, Alaska, an Iñupiat subsistence-based community and economic and administrative hub of Arctic Slope region. While it is widely recognized that women play important roles as providers in this region, more research is needed on the evolving nature of women?s ?work? given new vocational and educational opportunities in the context of shifting mixed economies, increasing regulation of the environment, cumulative oil and gas exploration and extraction, and pronounced environmental change. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of traditional ecological knowledge and political ecology, the PIs ask several primary research questions: 1) How do recent shifts in local livelihoods reshape discourses and practices on what it means to be a female provider in Barrow in changing times? 2) What are the linkages between women?s work and community well-being? 3) To what extent have recent shifts in local livelihoods impacted the ability of women to nurture diversity and create opportunities for self-organization and self-determination? and 4) How are women participating in, and providing leadership to, local and regional political networks? The research design is guided by feminist and participatory research approaches; the researchers have built methodological flexibility into their research design to enable the local research team and advisors to help shape the direction of the project. The project uses mixed methods, combining participant observation, semi-structured interviews, critical case studies, and social network analysis. Women?s roles have been an underrepresented aspect of indigenous management strategies worldwide and this project recognizes women as empowered individuals who often foster the well-being of their communities. Thus, this research provides an important opportunity to explore applied concerns in anthropology and resource management by valuing women?s traditional ecological knowledge and provisional roles during a time of intense shifts. The investigators also anticipate that this research will be useful and meaningful for the community of Barrow and will have broader applications to other indigenous groups facing similar challenges. They hope the collaborative and participatory nature of their research, including local people in the research process and providing additional opportunities to provide trainings and foster dialogue about research and ethics, will make a significant contribution to both the research and educational activities in Barrow and international discussions about the appropriate relationships between researchers, research programs, and local communities.