Procesos de institucionalización de la investigación indígena: Un abordaje comparado

This article studies the institutionalization of Indigenous research, considering the political, epistemological, and ontological conflicts that intervene in its development. It undertakes comparative analysis of four institutions affiliated with the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC) of Colombia, one of the Indigenous organizations that has most advanced in this process in Latin America. Using conversations with intellectuals--Indigenous researchers and collaborators--and institutional documents, it argues that the various ways of conceiving and practicing research account for a process of ontologization that implies a radical change regarding the meaning, subjects, and relationships involved in research development. The article claims that this process forces us to redefine the modern notion of research, and investigates the tensions that this trend presents in the CRIC.