Colonisation, racism and indigenous health

Abstract

In settler-colonies such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, the historical impacts of colonisation on the health, social, economic and cultural experiences of Indigenous peoples are well documented. However, despite being a commonly deployed trope, there has been scant attention paid to precisely how colonial processes contribute to contemporary disparities in health between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples in these nation-states. After considering pertinent issues in defining indigeneity, this paper focuses on operationalising colonisation as a driver of indigenous health, with reference to emerging concepts such as historical trauma. Conceptualisations of coloniality vis-a `-vis health and their critiques are then examined alongside the role of racism as an intersecting and overlapping phenomenon. To conclude, approaches to understanding and explaining Indigenous disadvantage are considered alongside the potential of decolonisation, before exploring ramifications for the future of settler-indigenous relations.

Cultural Continuity as a Determinant of Indigenous Peoples’ Health: A Metasynthesis of Qualitative Research in Canada and the United States

“…Despite the common tendency to compartmentalize determinants of health and explore specific pathways to health, the findings from this metasynthesis demonstrate the interconnectedness of all social determinants of health (Greenwood & de Leeuw, 2012). This is consistent with related research in the field of Indigenous health, including studies addressing Canada's colonial legacy (Czyzewski, 2011;Peters & Self, 2005), and research that addresses the negative health impacts from racism and discrimination, ranging from microaggressions and historic trauma to systemic racism (Paradies, 2016;Senese & Wilson, 2013;Walters et al, 2011). Colonization is often understood as a distal determinant of Indigenous Peoples' health, which has had significant and pervasive impacts on Indigenous Peoples across Canada (Czyzewski, 2011;Loppie Reading & Wien, 2009).…”

“…prevent [ing] people from seeing beyond the conditions created by the white society to serve its own interests" (p. 94). Further, Paradies (2016) noted that colonial mentalities involve tolerance of historical trauma and ongoing oppression, and therefore have been connected to a number of mental health concerns (e.g., anxiety, low self-esteem, emotional distress). Colonization has had profound effects on individual notions of identity, collective memory, and community cohesion (Kirmayer et al, 2009), thus impacting cultural continuity for Indigenous communities.…”

Outcomes and needs of health and education professionals following fetal alcohol spectrum disorder‐specific training

“…First Nations models of health provide holistic frameworks that ensure the strengths and challenges of the child and his or her family are understood . Likewise, recognising the impact of colonisation and historical trauma in First Nations communities is essential if communities are to be fully understood . Children who experience a greater sense of belonging and identity may be more able to achieve emotional stability, which in turn will impact neurodevelopmental capacity.…”

Pathways to Transform Institutional (and Everyday) Racism in New Zealand

“…In bicultural New Zealand,2 institutional racism occurs within a spectrum of discrimination that includes internalised, interpersonal, and societal forms (Paradies, Harris, and Anderson 2008) and reveals itself in chronic disparities between Māori and non-Māori in the realms of education, health, criminal justice, and employment (Ministry of Social Development 2010, Robson and Harris 2007, Pickett and Wilkinson 2011. 3 It is not a new phenomenon, and, as directed against indigenous people, it is a long-standing, wicked problem with origins in the discriminatory colonial practices of colonisation and assimilation (Smith 2012).…”