The scope of talanoa research methodology: The place of research methods that are not rooted in Pasifika traditions

Abstract

This paper explores the scope of Talanoa research methodology, a pan-Pacific approach to research. We ask about the implications of Talanoa research projects incorporating methods of data collection that have not been formulated from within Pasifika traditions. In the process, this paper examines distinctions as well as overlaps between the research categories of ‘methodology’ and ‘method.’ We argue that applying a Pasifika lens to this topic renders insights that are not available from Eurocentric perspectives. Ultimately, based on an analysis of existing Pasifika literature on the topic, we suggest that a range of research methods that are not uniquely Pasifika can be compatible with a Talanoa approach. In addition, we suggest that as a decolonising Indigenous methodology, Talanoa research – when examined alongside or in concert with Eurocentric research approaches – raises critical questions around contextualising research as cultural activity.