Negotiating a better deal for indigenous land owners : blending "research" and "community services"

Abstract

The major focus of this lecture is on the relationship between ‘research’ and ‘community service’ for academics who undertake research in the area of indigenous affairs and who work with indigenous communities. Professor O'Faircheallaigh argues that in this situation the boundaries between ‘research’ and ‘community service’ are not at all rigid and indeed are often unclear and that this absence of clear boundaries has some very positive results. However, it also raises a number of important and sometimes contentious issues which are not always addressed by academics or indigenous communities as explicitly as they should be. Professor O'Faircheallaigh's specific focus is on the way in which research and community service inter-relate in the area of negotiations between indigenous communities and mining companies.