Narrative Biographical Research with Mapuche Youth: Intercultural Ethics and Decoloniality of Being.

This work examines the ethical considerations of researching with young mapuche individuals regarding the processes of ethnic-cultural identity formation—Oneself (Ricoeur, 2006)—through a biographical narrative approach. It is situated within the socio-political and territorial context of Araucanía, the ancestral territory of the Mapuche people in Chile. The aim is to contribute to a situated research praxis that fosters decoloniality. To achieve this, I adopt the paradigm of intercultural ethics (Salas-Astraín, 2006; Fuica-García, 2020) and applied ethics in the context of biographical research (Kazmierska, 2018). This relational praxis is framed within historical processes of colonialism and coloniality (Maldonado-Torres, 2007; Mignolo, 2003; Quijano, 1997). It is essential to approach this work with “the critical consciousness of who we are and the place we occupy within the colonial chain” (Rivera-Cusicanqui, 2008, p. 169), recognizing the power structures we embody from our various positions. As discussed in this paper, we must strive for a chain of recognition where encounters with others are guided by an ethics of donation, human generosity, and responsibility (Maldonado-Torres, 2007). Throughout the research and co-construction of biographies, ethical dilemmas arise concerning: 1) The historical, sociocultural, and socio-spatial context of participants’ lives and the research institution; 2) The intercultural interactions between researcher and participant; and 3) The exploration of young Mapuche individuals’ identity as part of their life cycle and selfhood formation. In conclusion, this process activates potentialities of agency and contributes to understanding, knowledge, and social transformation at the three specified levels.