Ethical Futures in Art Education Research: Unlocking Interlocking Injustices in Academia

Abstract

Three art education researchers conceptualize ethical considerations in conducting research with Indigenous peoples, people of color, and minoritized groups. Three critical dimensions of ethical research emerged: reflexivity, reciprocity, and racialism. We consider how the demands to be successful in academia are at odds with ethical futures. With our examples, we suggest ways to resist academic privilege by foregrounding participants’ subjugated and unofficial knowledges. We suggest that more equitable frameworks might be developed by acknowledging intrinsic power dynamics and working toward partnerships from start to finish. We argue that by articulating and acknowledging ethical research praxis, those who have achieved academic success are in the best position to challenge and change interlocking injustices in academia.