Kindred Rites of Sankofa: On Octavia Butler’s Histofuturist Approach to Artful Inquiry

Using the lens of Sankofa, an Akan folktale symbolizing the value of cultural return, this article explores the potential of Octavia Butler’s methodological approach as a transformative framework for qualitative research. Butler’s “histofuturist” methodology, which intertwines historical insight with speculative imagination to forge new narratives, invites researchers to reorient their perspectives by integrating diverse temporal and cultural dimensions in their research. By examining her artful inquiry process in the context of her acclaimed novel, Kindred, the article highlights how Butler’s immersive artful methods—rooted in personal experience, sensory engagement, and emotional depth—pose a challenge to Eurocentrified research approaches. The article, then, advocates for artful inquiry as a methodological shift that embraces cultural heritage and personal reflection, proposing that Butler’s techniques can enrich contemporary qualitative research through enhanced emotional and contextual understanding and through a commitment to innovation and creativity.