Decolonising Research and Post-Qualitative Inquiry: Pushing the Boundaries of Westernised Research Paradigms in Health Education

Post-qualitative inquiry (PQI) unsettles traditional research paradigms by interrogating the ontological and epistemological assumptions that have historically defined qualitative research. This unsettling is also central to the decolonial work the authors engage in within the authors’ health and physical education fields. Decolonisation is not a fixed destination but an ongoing, relational and contested process that shifts the focus from simply using theory as a tool for interpretation to engaging with it to unsettle dominant knowledge structures, disrupt colonial logics and open new ethical and relational possibilities in research. This chapter draws parallels between PQI and the decolonial practices the authors engage in within and through the authors’ research contexts, highlighting the relationality of the authors’ roles as researchers and as Indigenous and Pacific peoples. The authors foreground the importance of disrupting colonial narratives, amplifying Indigenous knowledge and engaging in ethical, community-driven collaborations. This chapter presents examples of decolonial research projects in health and physical education that illustrate the transformative potential of research when Indigenous epistemologies and community priorities guide it. By centring Indigenous relationality, ethics and storytelling, the authors contribute to a research landscape that does not merely include Indigenous perspectives but is fundamentally shaped by Indigenous worldviews, histories and aspirations.