Research in focus: Grace Fan

Name:

Grace Fan

My pronouns:

(she/her)

Title:

Assistant Professor

Faculty/Department/Unit:

Faculty of Management

Location:

Okanagan

Year I started working at UBC:

2012

Provide an overview of your research in 75 words or less:

My research focuses on societal challenges at the intersection of inequality and environmental sustainability, involving Indigenous peoples in Canada and worldwide. 

What first motivated you (or motivates you) to conduct your research?

My desire to do my part to be "a true ally" to Indigenous peoples in Canada and worldwide. My passion to learn from Indigenous peoples, and hope that my research ignites passion in others to also learn from Indigenous peoples.

What do you hope will change as a result of this research?

I hope that more academics, practitioners, and policymakers will join me to learn and embrace Indigenous worldviews. Further, I hope that policymakers learn and respect Indigenous knowledge, and put Indigenous knowledge and Western knowledge on an equal footing when they design and implement policies (e.g. not as "as add-on" or as "window-dressing" to suit policy).

Are there any research collaborators you'd like to acknowledge and why?

A big shoutout to one of my co-author Dr. Zoe Cunliffe, who introduced the ethics of care from feminism philosophy to me. We applied the ethics of care to explain how the Okanagan Basin Water Board is able to initiate and implement change to achieve water sustainability (e.g. enacting care ethics to transform relations and empower communities). I am also grateful for the conversations that I had with Dr. David Suzuki and Grand Chief Stewart Phillips. They shared with me their wisdom and passion for Indigenous ways of knowing and being. I feel my life is richer because of these conversations.

What have you learned during your research that has surprised you the most?

Be open-minded and willing to learn from research collaborators (e.g. academics, research participants, community members, etc.). Be guided by data, and not by theory. Continue to build relationships with research participants.