Review of Decolonizing Data: Unsettling Conversations about Social Research Methods (by Jacqueline M. Quinless)

Unsettling Conversations about Social Research Methods, is a short, succinct volume that begins with the premise of examining the ways in which research practices contribute to colonization, and illustrates how social research can be part of "two-eyed seeing" (80) that incorporates Western and Indigenous values and world views.Quinless is a non-Indigenous scholar with extensive experience working with Indigenous communities.Th e fi rst chapter begins with an anecdote describing her research experiences in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, fi rst as a junior researcher with the federal government where timelines and objectives for her project were strict and clear, but she felt she was not "connected with people in the community in a meaningful way" (3).She contrasts this with a much more recent experience, also in Inuvik, that prioritized building relationships as part of the research process.From here, Quinless introduces the concepts of power, place, and relational responsibility in research design.In the most interesting part of the fi rst chapter, Quinless extensively cites Indigenous scholars in a discussion of Indigenous perspectives of well-being: in contrast to Western perspectives, the Indigenous concept of "the good life" is holistic and focuses on the balance between mental, physical, social, and emotional realms, as well as relation with the land and the water.As the author succinctly notes, "Mino-Bimaadiziwin goes well beyond income and education levels, housing and labour force activity (Newhouse & Fitzmaurice, 2012), which are how the Canadian state defi nes and measures well-being for Indigenous communities" (11).Th is contrast between Indigenous perspectives of well-being and defi cits-based health indicators emerging from Western research practices is a core theme of the book.Th e fi rst chapter introduces the Community Well-Being Index (CWB) and provides a critical examination: the CWB primarily focuses on income, education, housing, and labour force activity, neglecting crucial elements of physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being.In fact, the well-being scores from the CWB

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