A Mapuche methodological design for co-constructing research problems from Western social sciences

Abstract

This paper presents a social research methodological design grounded in elements of Mapuche kimün (Mapuche wisdom). It describes how a research problem was co-constructed with Mapuche individuals trained in Social Work, guided by the Mapuche principle of kelluwün (reciprocity and mutual aid). The aim is to highlight alternative research processes within traditional academia. The guiding research question is: how can Mapuche kimün, understood as territorial and community-based knowledge, underpin a culturally respectful and collaborative methodological design for social research with Mapuche people and communities? The paper is developed through the presentation of a doctoral research experience grounded in Mapuche ritual principles and practices such as inkatu (request for support), pentukun (protocol greeting), chalintukun (initial greeting), nütram (conversation), and ramtukan (the act of asking questions within conversation). These methodological steps enabled a shift from a model based on informants to a process of co-research. The importance of territory is emphasized not only as a physical space, but as a constitutive element of Mapuche identity and worldview for interpreting social issues. This proposed research methodological design, rooted in ancestral knowledge, represents a significant break with colonial and Eurocentric practices of knowledge production.