Beyond the “Add and Stir” Approach: Indigenizing Comprehensive Exam Reading Lists in Canadian Political Science

Abstract

Have universities heeded the call from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and taken concrete action to integrate and promote Indigenous scholarship in their classrooms? In the field of Canadian political science, this question is vital but underanalyzed. Indigenous knowledges, histories, languages, customs, legal traditions, systems of governance and research methodologies are integral to Canadian politics, but calls for indigenization have often not been met. By analyzing comprehensive exam reading lists for Canadian politics doctoral students in programs across the country, this article argues that a fractured approach to indigenization begins early on in the training of faculty. Indigenous content remains largely underrepresented on exam lists and siloed into Indigenous- or diversity-focused sections of the political science literature. Most Indigenous politics readings engage centrally with sovereignty and the Constitution, with very few exploring the political dimensions of residential schools, gendered violence and other contemporary political issues.

Language Matters: The Study of Canadian Politics through an Exploration of Syllabi and Comprehensive Exams

“…9See Wallace (2022) for an in-depth analysis of Indigenous peoples’ representation in comprehensive exam reading lists.…”

“…8 We follow Statistics Canada's (2022) definition of mother tongue, which "refers to the first language learned at home in childhood and still understood by the person at the time the data was collected." 9 See Wallace (2022) for an in-depth analysis of Indigenous peoples' representation in comprehensive exam reading lists. 10 See also Ladner (2017), whose research focused on publications related to Indigenous politics in CJPS.…”

The disciplinary scholarship of teaching and learning in political science and international relations: methods, topics, and impact

“… 9 For recent examples, see Almasri et al ( 2022 ), Murphy & Wigginton ( 2020 ), Smith et al ( 2020 ), Hamann et al ( 2021 ), Wallace ( 2022 ). …”