The Problem of Colonialism

Question 1

Forced relocation of the Inuit - why?

Answer 1

the Canadian government stopped Inuit nomadism by forcing relocation of families to the Canadian Arctic, with no option to move back

reasons:

1. stop migratory fragmentation of population
2. keep them all accounted for in permanent villages (can centralise healthcare, social services, education)
3. strengthen Canadian claims of northern sovereignty with a national presence in remote regions

Question 2

Immediate and long-term effects of colonial relocation efforts

Answer 2

affected Inuit abilities to travel (away)

changed their traditions of hunting and fishing

ultimately affected Inuit mental health and well-being, which led to a rise in suicide rates among the Inuit youth (driven by social change, rather than individual psychiatric disorders)

Question 3

Definition of “social anomie”

Answer 3

breakdown of traditional social norms and common values

social and cultural meaning is in a state of disruption due to an outside influence (e.g. colonialism)

Question 4

Example of social anomie

Answer 4

For the Inuit, contact with “white people” and their policies, culture, and sociality has disrupted their kin relationships

examples:

• rearrangement of social hierarchies
• diminished respect for parents and family rejection
• disappearance of arranged marriages and problems in romantic relationships

Question 5

Definition of “idiom of distress”

Answer 5

a socially and culturally resonant way of expressing and sharing distress in a local group or context

e.g. suicide has become an established, even contagious, way to communicate loss