L05 - Workshop on Indigenous Politics - Practices of Decolonization in Canadian Politics
Date: Jun 2 | Time: 01:30pm to 03:00pm | Location:
Joint Session / Séance conjointe : Canadian Politics
Chair/Président/Présidente : Daniel Voth (University of Calgary)
Claims to Sovereignty and the Accountability of Scholars in Canadian Political Science: Morgan Mowatt (University of Victoria)
Abstract: Canadian Political Science (CPS) is a field that trains future scholars, activists, and politicians; and which produces knowledge that is drawn upon by the media, citizens, elected officials, and judges. This paper highlights the role that CPS literature plays in influencing Canadian politics and society and illuminates potential material impacts of CPS literature that fails to account for the unsettled nature of Canadian sovereignty. When scholars utilize frameworks that legitimize Canada’s claims to sovereignty – over competing Indigenous claims – the resulting literature has the potential to shape behaviours of Canadian government and society. This paper makes two interventions: First, it demonstrates CPS scholars’ influence on the operations of federal institutions, the courts, and Canadian society relating to matters of Canada’s sovereignty; and, second, taking up the question of who CPS scholars are accountable to, it argues that CPS scholars have a responsibility to interrogate Canada’s claims to sovereignty in efforts to mitigate potential harm resulting from delegitimizing claims of Indigenous nations. I begin by drawing on examples of high-profile court cases, commissions, laws, policies, and media to demonstrate the level of influence that literature from CPS scholars has on government and society. Then, with attention to competing Indigenous sovereignties within Canada’s borders, I theorize that CPS scholars’ tendency to legitimize Canadian sovereignty while delegitimizing Canada’s internal competitors has material impacts on Indigenous peoples. Finally, I make a normative argument that CPS scholars have a responsibility to mitigate potential harms by casting a critical eye to Canadian assertions of sovereignty.
The Presence and Portrayal of Indigenous Peoples in Canadian Politics Textbooks: Erin Tolley (University of Toronto), Kiera Ladner (University of Manitoba), Sophie Mondejar (University of Toronto), Dane Monkman (University of Manitoba)
Abstract: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action implicate universities and researchers in a number of ways. The Canadian Political Science Association’s Plan of Action focuses on teaching and includes recommendations related to curriculum, course materials, and support for Indigenous scholarship. In this paper, we look at the portrayal of Indigenous peoples and Indigenous-settler relations in five of the most commonly assigned textbooks in introductory courses on Canadian government and politics. These courses provide undergraduate students with foundational knowledge about Canadian politics. Using content and discourse analysis, we examine the amount, placement, tone, and framing of content on Indigenous peoples and Indigenous politics. To what extent do Canada’s legacy of settler-colonialism inform this knowledge? How are Indigenous peoples represented and incorporated into textbooks about Canadian government and politics? And do the portrayals of Indigenous peoples reflect their autonomy, diversity, and right to self-determination? We argue that while textbooks do include mentions of Indigenous peoples, these portrayals are often negative, siloed, generic, and somewhat surface. Although Indigenous peoples are positioned as nations, there are still portrayals that reinforce stereotypes of Indigenous peoples as victims and “special interests.” There are also very few works by Indigenous scholars included in the textbook’s suggested reading lists.
Methodological and Academic Challenges in Canadian Political Science: The Value of a Socially Engaged Approach for Indigenous Research: Chelsea Gabel (McMaster University), Nicole Goodman (Brock University)
Abstract: Research undertaken on Indigenous peoples, cultures, and lands has historically resulted in Indigenous peoples being the most researched people in the world. Most research has been conducted on Indigenous people, culture and lands without the permission, consultation, or involvement of Indigenous peoples themselves. Socially engaged research is one approach that is increasingly recognized as an important approach to conducting research with rather than on Indigenous peoples. This research framework is a collaborative process that equitably involves those engaged in the research as partners and recognizes the unique strengths that each brings and the depth and richness this can add to research questions and knowledge outcomes. This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of undertaking socially engaged research within an Indigenous context and argues that the future of meaningful research in Canadian Politics should shift its approach to research design from an exclusively scholarly design, to one that actively engages Indigenous scholars, peoples and communities as partners whose participation serves to craft research agendas and questions. To make our case, we draw on our research with Indigenous communities in Canada to illustrate the value of this approach, which draws on Indigenous worldviews, local knowledge, and experience.