Abstract

What does Whiteness Theory tell us about “traditional” First Nations research? Whiteness theory suggests that “race” is an illusory term used largely for oppressive purposes. Using peer-reviewed journal articles that were gathered to study First Nations youth-centred issues, Whiteness theory is used to assess the “racelessness” of the methods and philosophy of samples from previous studies of Indigenous groups. Framed by Interpretive Research Synthesis techniques, eight articles studying Indigenous peoples from Australia, the US, and Canada, but widely differentiated topics, are analyzed conceptually to determine their synchronicity with the Whiteness Theory approach, or lack thereof. It is noted that elements of this “raceless” community cohesion exists, to greater or lesser degrees, in all of the research that is sampled. Some of this is due to the modernity of the research and some to the empowerment of Indigenous participants, but mostly from the breaking down of barriers (identifying with Others) as Whiteness Theory suggests.