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Indigenous Data Sovereignty and University Research Governance

Indigenous data sovereignty represents the inherent collective authority of Indigenous communities over their territorial, genomic, and cultural information. Conventional university research governance frameworks and open access protocols frequently conflict with sovereign data rights through institutional mechanisms of research ethics and data management. Reconciling these administrative systems demands structural policy transformation that incorporates collective stewardship, binding consent protocols, and decolonial institutional governance.

Objectiu del treball

Examine the structural alignment between university research governance frameworks and Indigenous data sovereignty principles across higher education institutions.

Metodologia

Comparative qualitative documentary analysis of university research ethics policies, open science frameworks, and international Indigenous data governance protocols.

Novetat científica

Systematically models the institutional operationalisation of CARE principles within university research ethics boards and university data repository governance.

Previsualització del document

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PhD Dissertation

Degree:
Indigenous Data Sovereignty and University Research Governance

Author:

Group

First M. Last

Advisor:

Dr. First Last

City, 2026

Contents

Abstract
Introduction
Chapter 1. Conceptual and Doctrinal Foundations of Indigenous Data Sovereignty
1.1 Historicising Data Extraction and Colonial Governance in Academia
1.2 Theoretical Foundations: Self-Determination, OCAP, and the CARE Principles
1.3 Tensions Between Open Science Paradigms and Indigenous Intellectual Property
1.4 International Doctrinal Instruments and Legal Recognition of Indigenous Rights
Chapter 2. Institutional Frameworks and University Research Ethics Governance
2.1 The Structure of Research Ethics Boards and Research Services in Higher Education
2.2 Institutional Mandates, Publishing Pressures, and Structural Deficits in Ethics
2.3 National Guidelines for Indigenous Health and Genomic Governance
2.4 Policy Implementation Gaps Between Institutional Mandates and Sovereign Consent
Chapter 3. Comparative Methodological Design for Institutional Policy Analysis
3.1 Documentary Corpus Selection and Multi-Jurisdictional Policy Sampling
3.2 Qualitative Content Analysis Criteria for Research Ethics Protocols
3.3 Triangulation of Institutional Policy Documents with Doctrinal Frameworks
3.4 Methodological Boundaries and Interpretive Rigour in Secondary Document Analysis
Chapter 4. Analytical Evaluation of Research Governance Mechanisms
4.1 Spatial, Health, and Genomic Data Flows in Academic Repositories
4.2 Assessing Institutional Compliance with CARE and FAIR Principles
4.3 Mechanisms of Data Stewardship, Custodianship, and Community Co-Governance
4.4 Structural Barriers to Operationalising Free, Prior, and Informed Consent
Chapter 5. Critical Synthesis and Institutional Transformation
5.1 Reconciling Open Access Mandates with Collective Data Sovereignty
5.2 Jurisdictional Models: Comparing Canadian and International University Frameworks
5.3 Transformative Policy Instruments: Institutional Memoranda and Data Sharing Accords
5.4 Decolonising Research Administration: Structural and Administrative Reforms
Chapter 6. Practical Pathways for Collaborative Governance Models
6.1 Operational Guidelines for Research Ethics Boards and Data Repositories
6.2 Policy Blueprints for Sovereign Indigenous Data Management Protocols
Conclusion
Bibliography

Introduction

Indigenous data sovereignty articulates the inherent collective rights of Indigenous nations to govern the collection, stewardship, ownership, and application of information concerning their peoples, territories, and cultural heritages [3]. In contemporary academic environments, the governance of scientific research remains structured by conventional institutional ethics mechanisms and emergent open science imperatives [5]. This operational configuration frequently prioritises broad digital dissemination and institutional ownership over sovereign Indigenous authority, generating persistent institutional frictions within higher education research infrastructures [1].

Academic research institutions face profound structural tensions between standard open data protocols, such as the FAIR principles, and rights-based Indigenous frameworks, notably the CARE principles [1], [4]. Traditional research ethics boards and university administrative bodies often function within standardized compliance regimes that neglect collective community rights and sovereign data ownership [7]. Consequently, university-led data practices risk perpetuating historical extractivism through modern digital workflows, genomic initiatives, and spatial mapping repositories unless rigorous governance reforms are enacted across institutional research offices [5], [8].

Addressing these systemic divergences requires a comprehensive doctrinal and documentary examination of higher education policy frameworks alongside international rights standards [2], [8]. This dissertation examines how universities can restructure research governance, ethics review procedures, and data management agreements to align with Indigenous data sovereignty [4], [5]. By establishing a comparative qualitative analysis of existing institutional policies and sovereign protocols, the study provides theoretical clarification and administrative models to dismantle colonial data practices within higher education institutions [1], [8].

3.3 Triangulation of Institutional Policy Documents with Doctrinal Frameworks

This study employs a multi-tiered comparative document analysis to evaluate how institutional research ethics mandates interact with Indigenous data sovereignty requirements across academic jurisdictions. The qualitative methodological framework systematically triangulates university data management protocols and institutional ethics board guidelines against established Indigenous governance doctrines. A critical dimension of this analytical design involves assessing structural institutional pressures, wherein quantitative output metrics and intensified publication demands frequently accelerate ethical deficits within university research environments (Ethics and Research-Focus Politics in Higher Education, 2023). By juxtaposing institutional policies with jurisdictional models spanning Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States, the qualitative coding scheme interrogates historical omissions of standardized guidelines and sovereign partnerships in sensitive fields such as genomics (Genomic Research Through an Indigenous Lens: Understanding the Expectations, 2019). Furthermore, this research integrates comparative policy evaluation methods to examine the operational tensions between open-access principles and collective rights, particularly evaluating how open scientific flows bypass sovereign community oversight when lacking explicit Free, Prior, and Informed Consent safeguards and formal co-stewardship accords (Datafying the Arctic: Satellite Governance, Indigenous Data Sovereignty, and the FAIR-CARE Conflict in India's Polar Engagement, 2026). Through iterative thematic coding across these policy corpora, the investigation establishes a rigorous analytical matrix that measures institutional alignment with community-defined governance standards, ensuring that data stewardship protocols are evaluated against Indigenous-led self-determination mechanisms rather than conventional procedural compliance alone.

References

  1. Datafying the Arctic: Satellite Governance, Indigenous Data Sovereignty, and the FAIR-CARE Conflict in India's Polar Engagement
    Sumanta Narayan Podder
    Lien DOI
  2. Indigenous Data Sovereignty Primers: A Guide for Researchers
    Jade Hill, Jordan Jamieson, Sara Anderson
    Lien DOI
  3. Governing data and data for governance: the everyday practice of Indigenous sovereignty
    Diane Smith
    Lien DOI
  4. Indigenous Data Sovereignty, governance and the link to Indigenous policy
    Maggie Walter, Stephanie Russo Carroll
  5. Data Colonialism in Canada: Decolonizing Data Through Indigenous data governance
    Donald Leone
  6. Now This! Indigenous Sovereignty, Political Obliviousness and Governance Models for SRM Research
    Kyle Powys Whyte
  7. Ethics and Research-Focus Politics in Higher Education
    Yasar Kondakcı
  8. Genomic Research Through an Indigenous Lens: Understanding the Expectations
    Nanibaa’ A. Garrison, Māui Hudson, Leah L. Ballantyne et al.

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