The 13th Inuit Studies Conference will be held at the University of Alaska Anchorage on August 1-2, 2002. University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of Alaska Anchorage will jointly host the conference. The central theme of the conference will be Voices from Indigenous Communities: Research, Reality & Reconciliation.

For several generations Inuit communities have been the subjects of scientific research from virtually every scientific discipline. In most cases this research was designed and carried out by non-indigenous researchers without any meaningful input from indigenous peoples. Often, the indigenous people being researched had no idea what the objectives of the research were and what benefits, if any the research could bring to the community. In many instances the hard feeling brought on by this practice caused a stifling of important and legitimate research because indigenous peoples were no longer willing to accept projects that they had no ownership in. In recent years more attention has been placed on research ethics with a particular emphasis on the concept of informed consent. Collaborative research projects involving indigenous peoples and western scientists are now increasing in number. There is still much to learn however, and the 13th Inuit Studies Conference will focus on successes in research involving indigenous people and provide opportunities for scientists and indigenous peoples to discuss these important issues. Papers and presentations that include both scientific researchers and indigenous people are particularly encouraged.