Exploring cultural competence for astronomers

This Master by Research thesis focuses on the intersecting domains of cultural competence, astronomy, Indigenous knowledge, and the implications thereof for ethnographic theory and practice. The aim of this study is to prove that, despite more than 40 years of substantial conflict between Indigenous people wanting to control and protect their land, and Western astronomers who wish to build research facilities on those lands, astronomers have an opportunity to alleviate those conflicts and achieve mutual respect and understanding. I will argue that many Western astronomers need to increase their cultural competence significantly. By improving cultural competence, astronomers will be able to collaborate meaningfully and ethically with Indigenous peoples and their interests while conducting scientific research on Indigenous sacred lands. Two case studies will be presented to test this hypothesis: (a) The possible lack of cultural competence observed in the case of Hawai'i's sacred mountain and the contentious Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). The dormant volcano is Hawai'i's most sacred place, where sacred Polynesian ancestors are buried, and is where astronomers are trying to build the telescope; and (b) The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, in South Africa and Australia, where astronomers gained a deeper understanding of the different perspective of the sky from working closely with the Indigenous people, opening new areas of opportunity, education, and vocation for the communities. I will compare the process of negotiation with Indigenous stakeholders in each case study on cultural competence, citing the successes, failures, and areas for improvement. Both case studies will be analysed through the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as the chosen qualitative research method. Data findings will be presented and discussed, and critical recommendations to accomplish a culturally competent first encounter with Indigenous peoples will be explored. This thesis will also propose a new theoretical approach to gaining cultural competence specifically for astronomers: the Model of Indigenous Cultural Competence for Astronomers (MICCA), and the theoretical diagram - Astronomy Cultural Competence Continuum. These two new theoretical proposals were designed to help astronomers before, during and after either ethnographic research, in the implementation of telescope facilities projects, and designing protocols between astronomers and indigenous for various projects. My primary objective in this research is to apply the cultural competency concept to astronomy, as far as I know, for the first time in the literature.