Research on the Vatsonga people of Southern Africa: A reflection on a case study
For decades, African researchers relied on Eurocentric concepts, models, philosophies, ethics, designs, and methods ingrained in the European research literature. The indiscriminate use of Eurocentric concepts to conceive African research is not sustainable given the uniqueness of African cultures...
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| Format: | journal article |
| Language: | English |
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National Association of Social Workers-Zimbabwe
2023
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| Online Access: | https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/5600 https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajsw/article/view/241548 |
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| author | Samuel Lisenga Simbine Liana Le Roux Noel Garikai Muridzo |
| author2 | Doctoral Graduate, Department of Social Work and Criminology, University of Pretoria; Lecturer, School of Social Work, Midlands State University |
| author_facet | Doctoral Graduate, Department of Social Work and Criminology, University of Pretoria; Lecturer, School of Social Work, Midlands State University Samuel Lisenga Simbine Liana Le Roux Noel Garikai Muridzo |
| author_sort | Samuel Lisenga Simbine |
| collection | DSpace |
| description | For decades, African researchers relied on Eurocentric concepts, models, philosophies, ethics, designs, and methods ingrained in
the European research literature. The indiscriminate use of Eurocentric concepts to conceive African research is not sustainable
given the uniqueness of African cultures. This situation gives impetus to the call for the development of a way of conducting
research that is more suited to indigenous African contexts. The paper contains a reflection on the researchers’ past research
experiences within African socio-cultural contexts. We aim to share our experiences on a research study that we conducted in
Zimbabwe with the Vatsonga of Southern Africa; one of the ethnic groups that adopt an Afrocentric worldview. We discuss how
we implemented theoretical perspectives, research methods, and research ethical considerations. We found that we had to adapt
the implementation of our research to be aligned with the norms and practices of the Vatsonga. Research ethical considerations
are highlighted as an important step towards fostering indigenised research on the continent. In addition, we propose the
dissemination of research findings to include indigenous communities where the research has been conducted. This should be done
through community meetings or workshops as the African people follow an oral-based tradition of knowledge transmission. The
paper concludes by highlighting the need for African literature to guide researchers in conducting research studies in indigenous
African communities. |
| format | journal article |
| id | ir-11408-5600 |
| institution | My University |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publisher | National Association of Social Workers-Zimbabwe |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ir-11408-56002023-05-04T11:52:06Z Research on the Vatsonga people of Southern Africa: A reflection on a case study Samuel Lisenga Simbine Liana Le Roux Noel Garikai Muridzo Doctoral Graduate, Department of Social Work and Criminology, University of Pretoria; Lecturer, School of Social Work, Midlands State University Department of Social Work and Criminology, University of Pretoria Executive Director, School of Social Work, Midlands State University Research methods Indigenous contexts Southern Africa Vatsonga people Zimbabwe For decades, African researchers relied on Eurocentric concepts, models, philosophies, ethics, designs, and methods ingrained in the European research literature. The indiscriminate use of Eurocentric concepts to conceive African research is not sustainable given the uniqueness of African cultures. This situation gives impetus to the call for the development of a way of conducting research that is more suited to indigenous African contexts. The paper contains a reflection on the researchers’ past research experiences within African socio-cultural contexts. We aim to share our experiences on a research study that we conducted in Zimbabwe with the Vatsonga of Southern Africa; one of the ethnic groups that adopt an Afrocentric worldview. We discuss how we implemented theoretical perspectives, research methods, and research ethical considerations. We found that we had to adapt the implementation of our research to be aligned with the norms and practices of the Vatsonga. Research ethical considerations are highlighted as an important step towards fostering indigenised research on the continent. In addition, we propose the dissemination of research findings to include indigenous communities where the research has been conducted. This should be done through community meetings or workshops as the African people follow an oral-based tradition of knowledge transmission. The paper concludes by highlighting the need for African literature to guide researchers in conducting research studies in indigenous African communities. 12 4 163 172 2023-05-04T11:52:05Z 2023-05-04T11:52:05Z 2022-08 journal article https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/5600 https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajsw/article/view/241548 en African Journal of Social Work 2409-5605 open National Association of Social Workers-Zimbabwe |
| spellingShingle | Research methods Indigenous contexts Southern Africa Vatsonga people Zimbabwe Samuel Lisenga Simbine Liana Le Roux Noel Garikai Muridzo Research on the Vatsonga people of Southern Africa: A reflection on a case study |
| title | Research on the Vatsonga people of Southern Africa: A reflection on a case study |
| title_full | Research on the Vatsonga people of Southern Africa: A reflection on a case study |
| title_fullStr | Research on the Vatsonga people of Southern Africa: A reflection on a case study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Research on the Vatsonga people of Southern Africa: A reflection on a case study |
| title_short | Research on the Vatsonga people of Southern Africa: A reflection on a case study |
| title_sort | research on the vatsonga people of southern africa: a reflection on a case study |
| topic | Research methods Indigenous contexts Southern Africa Vatsonga people Zimbabwe |
| url | https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/5600 https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajsw/article/view/241548 |
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