DalSpace Institutional Repository

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 19

Recent Submissions

Access status: Open Access ,
Dyadic coping and sexual well-being in couples seeking assisted reproductive technology.
(2023) El Amiri, S.; Rosen, N. O.; Brassard, A.; Rossi, M. A.; Bergeron, S.; Péloquin, K.
Access status: Open Access ,
A Novel Shape Memory Alloy-Based Retrofit System for Seismically Deficient Precast Concrete Building: Dataset
(2026) Chen, DeZhen; Oudah, Fadi
Access status: Open Access ,
In Memoriam: Tarra Chartrand
(Dalhousie University, 2026)
Access status: Open Access ,
A TRIPARTITE ECOLOGY: RESEARCHER, COMMUNITY, AND THE BENTHOS IN RELATIONAL MARINE SCIENCE
(2026-03-18) Ortenzi, Kathryn; No; Doctor of Philosophy; Department of Biology; Received; Christopher Furgal; Yes; Heike Lotze; Aaron MacNeil; Megan Bailey; Jörn Schmidt
There is a growing movement for marine spatial planning and other environmental decision-making to be inclusive of Indigenous Knowledge and respectful of Indigenous values. While Indigenous Peoples and communities continue to develop and publish guidance on what ethical and equitable research engagement should look like, the goals and processes of ecological research remain largely grounded in Western intrinsic and instrumental values. Largely, the natural sciences have yet to incorporate relational research frameworks, even when the research itself takes place in Indigenous territories. The research written about here is grounded in Nunatsiavut, a land-claims region within Canada. Since 2005, Nunatsiavut has had the right to manage its own marine resources. A principal part of its marine plan is to manage the sea according to Labrador Inuit values that focus on wellbeing, conservation, long-term access to marine resources, and living in good relation to the sea. Benthic plants and animals contribute enormously to the marine ecosystem’s overall health. The purpose of this work is to map the benthos within the larger social-ecological system in Nunatsiavut, and in doing so, build a reflexive process to understand how to nurture the tripartite research relationships between researcher, the subject of study (the benthos), and the communities that rely on them. To do this, I investigate the relationships between all three actors within benthic research. I first conducted a literature review to understand how and if benthic researchers across Inuit Nunaat report upholding Inuit guidelines for ethical and equitable engagement. I then looked at the researcher-community relationship within Nunatsiavut to see how and if researchers upheld their obligations to data sovereignty. Finally, after establishing research relationships in Nunatsiavut, I mapped the spatial and non-spatial relationships between Nunatsiavut communities and the benthos. In undergoing this iterative process, this research shows how a relational research framework can lead to more equitable and ethical research – and how equitable and ethical research leads to research innovations. This research highlights new methodological processes for mapping the benthos, demonstrating how grounding benthic science in relationality keeps the relationships between the benthos and communities intact throughout the research process. In doing so, results remain contextualized through Labrador Inuit experiences and knowledge, and can be much more useful for long-term, sustainable, and equitable marine management.
Access status: Open Access ,
Centring Labrador Inuit Values in Arctic Char Management
(2025-12) Hobbs, Sarah
Arctic char (iKaluk / Salvelinus alpinus) is central to food sovereignty, livelihoods, and wellbeing across Inuit Nunangat. In Nunatsiavut, an Inuit self-governed territory in what is now Labrador, Canada, char is a cultural keystone species that supports both domestic and commercial fisheries. Despite this significance, consistent long-term federal monitoring and updated stock assessments have been absent, leading to what the federal government describes as a “knowledge gap” regarding sustainable and economically optimal harvest levels. However, this issue more accurately reflects a governance gap: data and knowledge about Arctic char are held locally and expressed through Inuit Knowledge Systems that do not align with federal management frameworks. This research seeks to identify the values underpinning the relationship between Nainimiut (individuals from the community of Nain, Nunatsiavut) and char to inform future monitoring and management in support of Inuit self-determination. Drawing on the Imappivut Knowledge Study, which identifies four guiding values: conservation, knowledge sharing, access, and well-being, this study employs these as a framework for analysis. Methods include a literature review examining how these values have been reflected in past monitoring efforts across Nunatsiavut, and interviews with community members in Nain. Findings indicate that these values have been inconsistently represented in the literature, while interview themes closely align with them. This demonstrates that the Imappivut framework is suitable for understanding Nainimiut relationships with char, and future research studies could seek to better represent these values in their approaches. Overall, this research highlights that understanding the values that underpin the fishery and ensuring their explicit consideration in research and management can support Inuit self-determination and align governance more closely with community priorities. Shifting management toward approaches grounded in the ecological, cultural and social relationships between char and Labrador Inuit offers a path toward more informed governance of these fisheries.
Access status: Open Access ,
Taking Care of Data: Advancing Research Sovereignty with the Nunatsiavut Government Research Centre
(2025-12) Khan, Suha
Self-determination is an Inuit right and can be acknowledged through just and equitable research procedures. With the increasing emphasis on collaborative marine research and management, individuals and institutions need to ensure that their long-term research processes align with community values. The Nunatsiavut Government Research Centre (NGRC) has identified a need for the implementation of culturally aligned protocols for data sharing, access, and storage to ensure long-term Inuit research sovereignty. This project explores how researchers undertaking the Imappivut marine spatial planning project’s Knowledge Study navigated the challenges and opportunities of advancing research sovereignty, and how their experiences can inform data governance frameworks that uphold Inuit rights and values. In doing so, it examines obstacles they faced and the strategies they developed to manage valuable data in ways that align with Inuit priorities. To address these questions, semi-structured interviews were conducted with past and present researchers involved in the Imappivut Knowledge Study. Thematic analysis of the interview transcripts identified security, access, sharing, and usage as central aspects of research sovereignty. These findings point to NGRC priorities, including culturally appropriate research practices and accountability to participants, while also highlighting broader considerations for the evolution of long-term projects. This work directly supports researchers employed by the Nunatsiavut Government, who are responsible for stewarding the Imappivut Knowledge Study. By developing methods rooted in Inuit laws, practices, and customs, this study aims not only to support Nunatsiavut’s governance of research data but also to offer lessons applicable to other Inuit communities pursuing marine research sovereignty.