Decolonizing Global Health Research: Shifting Power to Indigenous-Led Methodologies Hannah M. Bethel

Abstract (English)

Global health research has long been dominated by Western institutions, methodologies, and frameworks; it is an enduring legacy of colonialism that continues to shape who holds power, whose knowledge is valued, and whose interventions are prioritized. While global health claims to serve marginalized populations, it often operates through top-down, extractive models that ignore Indigenous ways of knowing, displace traditional healing systems, and strip communities of autonomy over their health. This paper critiques the colonial underpinnings of global health research and argues for a fundamental shift toward Indigenous-led methodologies that prioritize community sovereignty, lived experiences, and epistemic justice. Through case studies, including the Ebola response in West Africa, HIV/AIDS interventions in Africa, and the exclusion of Indigenous knowledge during the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper exposes the failures of Western biomedical approaches that imposed external solutions while silencing local expertise.