Lecture 2 Flashcards
Cultural Safety
In contrast to the concepts of multiculturalism and universalism, cultural safety “requires the explicit and detailed recognition of the cultural identity of the Indigenous people and the historical legacy of power relations and repression”
Guiding Principles for this class
cultural safety, reflective learning, insurgent education, indigenous ways of knowing
Reflective Learning
Students take a step back to analyze and reflect on their responses to the course materials.
Insurgent Education
We will attempt to engage in “decolonizing and discomforting moments of Indigenous truth-telling that challenge the colonial status quo”
Indigenous ways of knowing
We respect that Indigenous Peoples have our/their own ways of knowing and interpreting the world that are not required to conform to Western paradigms.
IN what document is Aboriginal defined as “Indian, Inuit and Métis people of Canada”
Section 35.1 of the Canadian Constitution
Identities have been shaped, and continue to be shapedby
colonial and neo-colonial policy.
Indigenous is a term considered more acceptable as a generalizing term, because
it signifies that people have inhabited a particular territory for millennia, and because it connects common experience across the globe.
First Nations definition
This identity refers to people who are members of and retain connections to one or more of the First Nation communities in Canada, and who may be Status or non-Status Indians.
More than ____ of First Nations people no longer live in the lands that were reserved for their Nation.
50%
Status and/or treaty Indian
a legally defined identity embedded within the Indian act (1985)
Status and Treaty Indian refers to all
First Nations people who are the descendants of the Nations that entered into Treaty with the (British) “Crown
Metis
A complex identity that is legally defined within Canadian law and refers to the “mixed blood” descendants of European and Indigenous people.
Metis identity developed from
the recognition of the unique culture, language (Michif) and people of mixed ancestry descent from the French and Cree families living in the Red River valley.
By institutionalizing categories, terms and definitions of Indigenous groups/people, the colonial state has directly contributed
the breaking of family bonds, loss of identity and undermining of traditional Indigenous conceptions of identity and community.
Inuit
A legally defined identity embedded within Canadian law and refers to the culturally and linguistically similar people living in the Arctic regions.
Self-Identification
Many Indigenous populations have their own Indigenous language-based names for themselves, their Indigenous nations, tribal organizations, alliances, landmarks, life-ways and people.
Race
is a socially constructed phenomenon that is not supported by scientific evidence – there is no “racial hierarchy” – but nonetheless, ideas about racial categories and traits persist and continue to shape conversations.
Critical race theory (CRT)
examines how race is implicated in all aspects of society and how certain racial groups with power govern other racial groups
Criticisms of Critical Race Theory
- Does not name and examine the role of colonialism
- Does not include the voices of Indigenous scholars/discussions around sovereignty
Anti-racism education includes:
Naming the visible and invisible powers and privileges that have been normalized by White people.
Examining the construction of race in relation to power
Indigenous anti-racism education
Expands on anti-racism education and CRT by examining the “links between colonialism and racism” in contemporary terms
Racism
is the marginalization and/or oppression of people of color based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that privileges white people.
Racism is complex and built around different components that include:
Prejudice
Ethnocentrism
Stereotypes
Discrimination
Harassment
Racial Harassment
Microaggressions
Colour Blindness
The concept of privilege involves both
advantaged and disadvantaged individuals, and in order to address privilege both need to be acknowledged
McIntosh (1988) describes white privilege as
an invisible package of unearned assets” that could be relied upon, but weren’t supposed to be recognized as assets
What this means is, similar to male privilege, white people are not taught to
recognize their privileges because recognizing both advantages and disadvantages makes one accountable for their actions
Having been taught to not see their oppressive nature,
white people’s oppressiveness, in some cases, comes from an unconscious place.
McIntosh (1988) goes on to state that “whites are taught
to think of their lives as morally neutral, normative, and average” so that when efforts are made to benefit others, its seen as helping others become more like “us
When looking at privilege in this way, one must separate different types of advantages:
Earned strength vs. Unearned power
Additionally, one must recognize that not all privileges are damaging:
Positive advantages vs. Negative advantages.
Lastly, one must address the differences between rights and advantages:
Unearned Entitlement vs. Unearned advantage
Where does advantage come from?
Race
Sex
Age
Ethnicity
Physical ability
Nationality
Religion
Sexual orientation
Social class
Economic class
Active privilege
Visible advantages for the privilege
Embedded
Advantages members of the privileged group are not meant to see.
To redesign social systems, we need first
to acknowledge their colossal unseen dimensions
The goal needs to be to raise the daily consciousness on white privilege, and
use this information to reconstruct power systems on a broader base.
