A Promised Mindland? A rectificatory theory-practice position for non-Indigenous researchers

Non-Indigenous researchers who study Indigenous people and issues are situated in a highly contested epistemological space. Indigenous sovereignty and decolonizing endeavours have transformed this realm into a thriving liberatory arena. That in turn has stirred colonial residues in the fi eld and has led non- Indigenous researchers to readjust their ideologies and practices vis- à- vis the Indigenous epistemological insurgence. In order to respond to these challenges, researchers may turn to a range of theory- practice positions. I review these positions and suggest that, despite their immense contributions, they still constitute higher- level symptoms of the colonial aftermath. Therefore, a rectifi catory theory- practice position is proposed, advocating resistance,
trans- generational justice and reparation by non- Indigenous researchers in Indigenous- related research. In addition, I i ntroduce the concept of “mindland” to encompass the rectifi cation of both knowledge and land, and highlight the wider colonized context of Indigenous- related research.