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The Strength of Indigenous Australian Evaluators and Indigenous Evaluation: A Snapshot of “Ways of Knowing and Doing” Reflecting on the 2014 Darwin Conference of the Australasian Evaluation Society
Author(s) -
Grey Kim,
Yamaguchi Jessica,
Williams Emma,
Davis Vanessa,
Foster Denise,
Gibson Jack,
Dunnett Desleigh
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
new directions for evaluation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.374
H-Index - 40
eISSN - 1534-875X
pISSN - 1097-6736
DOI - 10.1002/ev.20330
Subject(s) - indigenous , framing (construction) , sociology , traditional knowledge , snapshot (computer storage) , public relations , environmental ethics , political science , history , computer science , ecology , biology , operating system , philosophy , archaeology
The strong presence of Indigenous Australians at the 2014 Australasian Evaluation Society (AES) conference highlights expansion in the ways Indigenous people are working as evaluation practitioners and collaborating in evaluation. This may reflect changing practice, moving from the involvement of Indigenous Australians solely as the users of programs to their more diverse and active engagement in the conduct of evaluations. However, it is not clear how far this shift extends to Indigenous‐led shaping of evaluation questions or framing the interpretation of findings. In this chapter, Indigenous Australian coauthors who are practicing evaluators explore dimensions of Indigenous participation. Themes covering knowledge and engagement processes and principles emerged from the conference, demonstrating how “ways of knowing and doing” make Indigenous evaluation much more than about method. The concept of an “adaptive shared space” is presented as a venue for growing respectful collaboration. Developing deliberative learning among Indigenous and non‐indigenous people, commissioners, and practitioners, offers a way to bring deeper meaning to evaluation practice.