*3.1. Self-Decolonization*

As a settler scholar and daughter of immigrants with Indian ancestry—a country formerly colonized by the British—witnessing the intergenerational impacts of colonization stemmed my interest in understanding the long-term impacts of these systems on health. My undergraduate education introduced me to the concepts of social and ecological determinants of health, where Indigenous Peoples in Canada were consistently noted as experiencing disproportionate health and social disadvantages. While the connection between these issues and colonization was not immediately clear to me, I worked closely with off-reserve Indigenous communities during my graduate studies which elucidated the myriad of impacts that colonization continued to have on holistic health. Over the past 10 years, I have partnered with First Nations and Métis communities in Ontario and Saskatchewan, Canada on a range of projects focused on food security and mental health, and have had the great privilege of learning from Knowledge Keepers and Elders in these communities. These experiences emphasized the importance of acknowledging the extent to which our systems—and therefore our ways of thinking and doing—are colonized, so that we may begin to reimagine how our approach to health research and community engagement could shift if we took a decolonized approach.

Decolonizing research is a complex process, as most research endeavours are embedded in colonial systems or institutions. However, if we are to make meaningful progress in improving health outcomes among (formerly) colonized communities—particularly those who have suffered unspeakable injustice as a result—decolonization is a necessary first step.

We cannot let the history of harmful colonial impacts be water under the proverbial bridge. In partnering with Indigenous communities, relationships must be built based on respect, collaboration, and common goals [48,49]. On my decolonizing journey over the past decade, I learned that engaging in decolonizing citizen science research is a process that begins with decolonizing as a self-reflective practice for researchers. Decolonizing involves non-Indigenous researchers listening and learning from the colonial history and experiences of Indigenous Peoples. This practice requires identifying and deconstructing Western-centric research training, which can be initiated through grounding in self-awareness andreflection; listening to stories of lived experience; and engaging with scholars championing these areas..
