The Inclusion of Spirituality in Transformative Evaluation DONNA M. MERTENS GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY, PROFESSOR EMERITUS AMERICAN EVALUATION ASSOCIATION, CHICAGO, NOVEMBER 2015

Journeys that brought me here My Life: Christian religion/positivist science Social justice as a frame for evaluation Engagement with indigenous communities November 2015AEA CHICAGO MERTENS 2

Spirituality through Christian Religion Hymns Go my children fed and nourished, closer to me. Grow in love and love by serving, joyful and free. We are called to act with justice, we are called to love tenderly; we are called to serve one another, to walk humbly with God. Bible For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me (Matthew, 34-40) November 2015AEA CHICAGO MERTENS 3

Need for a Social Justice Lens Marie Battiste (2000): “…society is sorely in need of what Aboriginal knowledge has to offer” Bagele Chilisa (2005) “it is an issue of life and death” John Collier (1947) “They had what the world had lost. They have it now. What the world has lost, the world must have again, lest it die.” November 2015 AEA CHICAGO MERTENS 4

Transformative Paradigm: Philosophy  Axiology: Respect for cultural norms; support for human rights and social justice; reciprocity  Ontology: Issues of power & critical interrogation of multiple realities: social, political, cultural, economic, race/ethnic, gender, age, religion and disability values to unmask those that sustain an oppressive status quo  Epistemology: Issues of power & Interactive link; knowledge is socially and historically located; trusting relationship  Methodology: Qualitative (dialogic)/ Quantitative mix; Context November 2015 AEA CHICAGO MERTENS 5

Can T & I come together? Transformative and Indigenous Frameworks for Multimethod and Mixed Methods Research, Fiona Cram & Donna M. Mertens (pp ) November 2015AEA CHICAGO MERTENS 6

Indigenous Paradigm Chilisa (2012) Wilson (2008) Linda T. Smith (1999) Marie Battiste (2000) LaFrance & Crazy Horse (2009) Relational Axiology Relational Ontology Relational Epistemology Relational Methodology (Chilisa, 2012) November 2015AEA CHICAGO MERTENS 7

Ethics and Indigeneity Connections between people, past, present, and future, all living and nonliving things (ubuntu) Respect and reciprocity: listens, pays attention, acknowledged, and crates space for the voices and knowledge systems of Indigenous people Contribute to a better future Spirituality November 2015AEA CHICAGO MERTENS 8

Indigenous Epistemologies and Ontologies Rejects deficit/racist knowledge of Indigenous people Challenges the internalization of this deficit perspective Political activism by Indigenous people Issues of power (treaties, land, sovereignty) Knowledge is historically and socially located Trusting relationships Inclusion of spirituality as an integral part of identity November 2015AEA CHICAGO MERTENS 9

Indigenous Methodologies Enable the knowing of elders to be gathered and used Protocols developed by Indigenous communities Participatory methodologies Language Folklore, mythologies, proverbs Use of evaluation for positive social change Inclusion of spirituality as guiding values and as legitimate knowledge November 2015AEA CHICAGO MERTENS 10

Challenges: Representation As nonindigenous people, how do we represent ourselves to members of indigenous communities? How do we avoid appropriating Indigenous spirituality for our own purposes? What is the basis for legitimacy for speaking about indigenous people? What is the role of the Westerner with regard to decolonizing and indigenizing evaluation? November 2015AEA CHICAGO MERTENS 11

Tribe of Wannabe (Jenkins, 2004) Native Spirituality Reverence for Mother Earth the Sky and the Seas Dancing, drumming, dreaming, rituals Worship the Great Spirit Material world is sentient and intelligent- the sun, the mountains Meta physical wholeness Humans and land: mutually dependent; not owned by, but cared for and renewed by. Legacy of Oppression Dismissed as superstitious pagan savages Sacred land taken away Characterized as devil worship, human sacrifice, torture Appropriated for economic gain Broken treaties, racism, reservations Cultural genocide Romantic and quaint November 2015AEA CHICAGO MERTENS 12

Heterogeneity within Indigenous Communities Indigenous values are sometimes described as valuing spirituality and as a mean to challenging dominance by colonizers. Yet indigenous values are not homogenous. Some indigenous values support the silencing of members of their communities (e.g., women in many indigenous communities). Some members of indigenous communities bully members of other indigenous communities that share their geographic location. How do evaluators recognize and address those values that are and are not supportive of equity in terms of human rights? November 2015AEA CHICAGO MERTENS 13

Local control Decolonized evaluation means vetting evaluation through local authorities. Suppose the local authorities are all composed of men or of people who do not want “bad news out”? How does the evaluator negotiate the need for honesty in order to do evaluation with integrity and results that are valid in such circumstances? How can the evaluator support the representation of marginalized members of indigenous communities? How can spiritual values inform our work in light of power structures that might sustain oppression? November 2015AEA CHICAGO MERTENS 14

Western Minds and Indigenous Concepts How do we incorporate indigenous values around spirituality into evaluation work? How do we listen in circles? November 2015AEA CHICAGO MERTENS 15

Contributions to Quality Ubuntu – if all evaluation was designed, conducted and used with this level of social consciousness… Spirituality – how can this be integrated into evaluation methods? Contribute to a better future – what are the mechanisms for this to occur? Myths, songs, dances, proverbs – data that reflect cultural beliefs November 2015AEA CHICAGO MERTENS 16

Resources Mertens, D.M., Cram, F., & Chilisa, B. (Eds.) (2013). Indigenous pathways into social research. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press. Mertens, D. M. & Wilson, A. (2012). Program evaluation. NY: Guilford. Mertens, D. M. (2015). Research and evaluation in education and psychology: Integrating diversity with qual, quant and mixed methods. 4th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Mertens, D. M. (2009). Transformative research & evaluation. NY: Guilford Mertens, D. M. & Ginsberg, P. (2009).(Eds.) Handbook of Social Research Ethics. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. November 2015AEA CHICAGO MERTENS 17

Contact information Donna M. Mertens Gallaudet University November 2015AEA CHICAGO MERTENS 18