The Role of Community-Based Participatory Research on Digital and Social Inclusion: Data Visualization of Indigenous Knowledge Cultural Stories and Communal Practices, Presented by Dr. Jelina Haines

When

1 p.m., Nov. 3, 2022

Where

Bio:
Dr Jelina Haines is a Filipino-born Australian with an ancestral link to Indigenous Americas-Mexico. Haines completed her PhD studies in Information Science at the School of UniSA-STEM, University of South Australia. With 20 years of experience working in the Indigenous community in Ngarrindjeri country. Her research interest lies in interdisciplinary studies related to human information behavior, ethical information recovery of specific knowledge held by traditional Storytellers, and the social impact of digital technologies in marginalized communities, particularly Indigenous people. Dr. Haines is passionate about the importance of preserving traditional stories and enhancing their value and preservation, assisted by technology for everyday learning practices. An award-winning visual art designer, her collaborative work has been commissioned by major large institutions, including LeHarve Museum, France, the National Gallery of Australia, South Australian Museum, South Australian Maritime Museum, Uniting Communities, Adelaide, Department of Infrastructure, private companies, and private individuals in 16 countries. Besides, she uses her knowledge as a video ethnographer, Indigenous advocate, and Researcher to promote cultural harmony by working together, regardless of cultural identity, race, and tradition. Dr. Haines's doctoral thesis redefined traditional learning by merging art and technology with ethical visualization of living culture, tradition, and history, integrating Storyteller's; voices, experiences, adaptability, tolerance, and resilience shared in their unique social and cultural contexts.

Dr Jelina Haines is the recipient of the 2022 ASIS&T ProQuest Doctoral Dissertation Award, an open international competition in the field of information science & technology, recognizing her outstanding PhD thesis and the continuing importance of the topic to theory development and practical applications in information science; soundness of methodology; organization and clarity of the presentation; and quality of data.

 

Abstract:

Data visualization is focused on translating information into a visual context, effectively communicating information ethically and universally. With a multidisciplinary landscape of theories and analytical frameworks relating to interactive visualization, this presentation engages with issues concerning the role of community–based participatory research on digital and social inclusion data visualization of Indigenous knowledge practices. The synergy of Community-based participatory research (CBPR hereafter) has a strong application record across various research disciplines and sectors, particularly in Indigenous health and social sciences (Tripathi & Bhattarya, 2004). An imminent challenge in legitimizing CBPR in information science is minimizing biases and misappropriation in translating and disseminating oral knowledge, which can be achieved by shared dialogue in data-gathering methods, knowledge transparency, and enhancing the ethical process, which requires researchers to collaborate with the community involved mutually (Katapally, 2019). 

In this research, oral knowledge embedded in the findings plays a crucial role in creating meaningful and rich information for data visualization and stories' integrity and authenticity (Jensen, 2012). While obstacles exist in presenting Indigenous knowledge, the findings referenced oral stories and communal practices as a source of symbolic knowledge that combines Storytellers' wisdom, the law, culture, continuing connections to the land, and kinship. Visualized data results emphasized the locality of the Indigenous knowledge and the community's strong involvement in the research process that makes up the topological information of local knowledge, such as Ngarrindjeri weaving and storytelling.

Hence, the presentation shows a repertoire of methodologies ensuring digital social inclusion of data visualization is employed within a cultural context (Klonner, 2021). Overall, the findings demonstrate how CBPR could be used parallel to Ngarrindjeri beliefs and traditions. The research is influenced at the periphery of local and western knowledge, whereby continuous negotiations and shared dialogue with the community are crucial to creating social inclusivity and digitally preserving oral wisdom for prosperity (Miner, 2022).

References

Jensen, K. L., Winschiers-Theophilus, H., Rodil, K., Winschiers-Goagoses, N., Kapuire, G. K., & Kamukuenjandje, R. (2012). Putting it in perspective: designing a 3D visualization to contextualize indigenous knowledge in rural Namibia. In Proceedings of the Designing Interactive Systems Conference (pp. 196-199).

Katapally, T. R. (2019). The smart framework: integration of citizen science, community based participatory research, and systems science for population health science in the digital age. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 7(8), e14056.

 Klonner, C., Usón, T. J., Aeschbach, N., & Höfle, B. (2021). Participatory Mapping and Visualization of Local Knowledge: An Example from Eberbach, Germany. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 12(1), 56-71.

 Miner, J. D. (2022). Informatic tactics: Indigenous activism and digital cartographies of gender-based violence. Information, Communication & Society, 25(3), 431-448.

 Tripathi, N., & Bhattarya, S. (2004). Integrating indigenous knowledge and GIS for participatory natural resource management: State‐of‐the‐practice. The electronic journal of information systems in developing countries, 17(1), 1-13.