Federally funded research in Canada is of significant scope and scale. The implications of research in the colonial project has resulted in a fraught relationship between Indigenous Peoples and Western research. Research governance, as an aspect of public administration, is evolving. The relationality inherent in new public governance (NPG)—a nascent public governance regime—may align with Indigenous relationality concepts. Recent societal advances, such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the Truth and Reconcilliation Commission of Canada (TRC), and the Indigenous Institutes Act in Ontario, provide further impetus for Indigenous self-determination in multiple domains including research. This article advocates for Indigenous research sovereignty and concludes with suggestions for ways in which federal funding agencies, specifically the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), could contribute to the advancement of Indigenous research sovereignty.
The Western world is experiencing a resurgence of interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, most of which are derived from plants or fungi with a history of Indigenous ceremonial use. Recent research has revealed that psychedelic compounds have the potential to address treatment‐resistant depression and anxiety, as well as post‐traumatic stress disorder and addictions. These findings have contributed to the decriminalization of psychedelics in some jurisdictions and their legalization in others. Despite psychedelics’ opaque legal status, numerous companies and individuals are profiting from speculative investments with few, if any, benefits accruing to Indigenous Peoples. In this paper, we suggest that the aptly named “psychedelic renaissance,” like the European Renaissance, is made possible by colonial extractivism. We further suggest that Indigenous philosophical traditions offer alternative approaches to reorient the “psychedelic renaissance” towards a more equitable future for Indigenous Peoples, psychedelic medicines, and all our relations.
Indigenous scholars and their allies increasingly contribute to food systems debates and practices through pursuing and interrogating ideas of Indigenous food sovereignty. This essay adds to this ongoing conversation by providing a synthesis of and reflection on a panel session on Indigenous food sovereignty held at the American Association of Geographers (AAG) 2022 Annual Meeting. We place this conversation in the context of a growing body of scholarship on food sovereignty and Indigenous food systems. Organized by the AAG’s Geographies of Food and Agriculture Specialty Group, with support from the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems and Community Development, the session engaged Indigenous scholars in a discussion about the meaning of food sovereignty, different ways of knowing, relationships and reciprocity, and systems of power. The panelists emphasized the relationship between all elements of creation at the core of food sovereignty, the importance of valuing different ways of knowing and expertise, making visible histories of settler knowledge appropriation, and critically assessing how power manifests, operates, and is understood in different food systems and worldviews. Building on the scholarly literature and the evolving place-based grounding of food sovereignty movements, we argue that it is critical to address ongoing realities of genocide and settler colonialism in North America/Turtle Island by forging respectful relationships with all of creation and to work through collaborations led by Indigenous people and grounded in reciprocity.
Each year, more interdisciplinary food-related programs are offered at Turtle Island colleges and universities. First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI), an Indigenous postsecondary institution located on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Ontario, is in the process of developing an Indigenous food systems undergraduate degree program. This article shares our thoughts regarding education for food system transformation at FNTI. Transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 2000) presents a framework for adult learning with the potential to effect food system change. Our paper examines this theory considering traditional Haudenosaunee teachings and contemporary thought. Despite the potential for food system transformation, transformative learning theory-grounded in Western thought-can not lead to a truly decolonized food system because it offers the Indigenous learner little to rebuild that which was deconstructed. Although transformative learning theory and Haudenosaunee ways of knowing are incompatible, transformative learning could help Indigenous learners to challenge implicit colonial narratives as part of the process of decolonization. Transformative learning theory may also have value for cultivating allies in non-Indigenous contexts. We are designing our Indigenous food systems program according to traditional Haudenosaunee principles such as a *
The biodigital convergence describes the intersection, and in some cases merging, of biological and digital technologies. Biodigital technologies include mRNA vaccines used to treat COVID-19, digitally controlled surveillance insects, microorganisms genetically engineered to produce medicinal compounds, and more. While significant scholarship has been paid to the ethical dimensions of biodigital technologies from a Western standpoint, little attention has focused on Indigenous views on the biodigital convergence. In this article, we explore the biodigital convergence from a Haudenosaunee perspective and suggest that insights from Indigenous philosophical traditions—specifically regarding relationality and territory—may be necessary for humanity to adapt to the profound and existential changes implicit in the biodigital convergence.
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