Clarifying the process of land-based research, and the role of researcher(s) and participants

Despite significant research in environmental sociology, environmental sustainability, and cultural geography, the following questions remain ambiguous for many Indigenous communities: What constitutes land-based research and what is its purpose? How are researcher and participants situated in land-based research? Who has the power to select the research topic, research objectives, and research site? Who has the power to determine research protocols, data analysis and dissemination procedures? What can be learned from land-based research? Focusing on a relational participatory action research (PAR) project with the Laitu Khyeng Indigenous community in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), Bangladesh, this paper addresses the above questions as a means of advocating for land-based research. My learning journey in land-based research is a relational ceremony that not only reinforces my desire to create a bridge between researcher and participant needs but also serves as inspiration in rethinking the meaning of research from the participants’ perspectives.