Researcher positionality as self-reflexivity in indigenous entrepreneurship research - from Zimbabwe to Aotearoa

This article is intended as a provocation for Indigenous researchers to reflect on their cultures and life stories, and consider how sharing their intergenerational experiences can engender cultural empathy with Indigenous peoples that originate from a different community and are at the heart of their study. I explore how an Indigenous researcher’s life story, from a childhood in the African continent to adulthood and parenthood in Aotearoa, influenced his research direction and design toward Indigenous entrepreneurship as an emancipatory and empowering endeavour. The article challenges the dominance of objectivity, balancing it with the subjectivity of researcher positionality in Indigenous entrepreneurship research. First, I narrate my life story to demonstrate how my experiences shape my research philosophy. Second, I discuss the research that I am involved in, exploring issues of my reflexive process and positionality as it relates to the research. I invite other Indigenous researchers to reflect on how their life stories influence their research.