Through
OSCAR’s Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, I have been given the
opportunity to begin research on a topic that I have been planning to pursue
for a while now, and which I plan to continue in years ahead. This summer, I
have been working on a project titled “An Alternative Approach to Indigenous
Rights: Biocultural Rights in the Case of Borikén.” In summary, my research is
seeking to understand how Indigenous peoples’ of Borikén (also known as Puerto
Rico) perceive of the new concept of biocultural rights, which recognizes the
notion that cultural resources and natural resources are inextricably connected.
Last
semester, I worked as an OSCAR research assistant under Dr. Cher Weixia Chen who
allowed me to experience working on a full research project. With Dr. Chen’s
support as my mentor this summer, I have been able to take my past experiences
working for her and apply it to my own work as a student researcher looking at
Indigenous rights. Additionally, Dr. Chen’s previous work regarding biocultural
rights has also been a wonderful connection for me into understanding the
topic. Outside of my work as a researcher, I have a personal vested interest
regarding Indigenous rights and in particular for those in Borikén because of my
own personal family history. Understanding the ways in which colonialism and
genocide have affected and continue to affect Indigenous peoples both in my own
community and elsewhere is large part of the reason why I am interested in fields
relating to decolonization and Indigenous reclamation of power.
My
research is an interview-based study, and as a result, lots of communication
between community members is necessary; a large part of this study encompasses
communicating between participants and other contacts. Moreover, translation
between English and Spanish is necessary for text, such as those approved by
IRB for distribution, as well as in conversations between participants when
necessary.
Because
of the complexity of addressing different identities and definitions of
Indigeneity within my research project, my work encompasses multiple fields of
study. I have had to learn to navigate through multidisciplinary texts such as
human rights, anthropology, and sociology fields to come to a more complete
understanding of my research question. Although the summer is coming to a
close, I am only beginning to get a glimpse at what the entirety of this
research will look like in the future, and I am excited to continue this project
and learn from all of the experiences I encounter.
