Moving beyond the "exotic": applying postcolonial theory in health research.
Postcolonialism offers nursing scholarship a framework for understanding culture and identity as fluid and complex, historically situated, and discursively constructed. This article describes one version of implementing postcolonial theory, using examples from a research project conducted with urban American Indians on the topic of diabetes. I demonstrate the influence and value of postcolonialism throughout the research process. A postcolonial approach can help nursing researchers and practitioners avoid reproducing injustices and stereotypes, illuminate the complexities of life at the intersections, and contribute to the construction of a more socially just world.
Mohammed
Selina A
SA
School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. selinam@umich.edu
D018595:Colonialism; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000208:ethnology; D032984:Ethics, Research; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research / Q000941:ethics*; D015399:Nursing Research / Q000941:ethics*; D011057:Politics; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011287:Prejudice; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011822:Race Relations; D012930:Social Dominance; D012935:Social Justice; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior; D016746:Transcultural Nursing / Q000941:ethics*; D014481:United States