The CRM 2018 conference provided a forum where researchers were given an opportunity to come together and to explore and debate the ongoing research on indigenous methodologies that have been advanced by colleagues. This conference followed public lectures given in 2017 in Trinidad and New York by Professor Camille Nakhid and research which was conducted by the conference organizers in territories such as New Zealand, the USA, Canada, Cuba, Jamaica and in Trinidad and Tobago.

The notion of having a Caribbean-specific research methodology is parallel to the arguments presented in defense of indigenous methodologies which were birthed to counter Western ideologies and research approaches. Thus, indigenous research is often classified as decolonizing and self-determining. In hosting this CRM Conference, we have recognized the need for a culturally-relevant methodology within the Caribbean. As with other indigenous approaches, the methodology sought to offer a framework of decolonization that acknowledged the two-fold origins of Caribbean identity: its indigenous populations and the subsequent legacy of colonization and plantocracy. The main themes of the papers that were presented,  regarded the centrality of Caribbean identity and culture, and respected the cultural practices and traditions that have helped to sustain that sense of unity and survival both within and across Caribbean countries.