Ignorance and historical geographies of Aboriginal exclusion: Evidence from the 2007 Bouchard‐Taylor Commission on Reasonable Accommodation

Abstract

Ignorance is linked to colonialism and is deeply implicated in the maintenance of unequal social relations. The authors theorize ignorance as structural and self-interested, and undertake a geographically sensitive analysis of Quebec's 2007 Bouchard-Taylor Commission to demonstrate how ignorance of Aboriginal realities works strategically to sustain unequally occupied rhetorical and material space. The Bouchard-Taylor Commission was a public inquiry into Quebec citizens' opinions on the degree to which cultural difference should be accommodated in the province. Through both geographic decisions about where to hold public meetings and in its very mandate, the Commission restricted participation to Quebecers of French-Canadian descent and immigrants of long and more recent standing. The authors analyze how the law, and ignorance of how it applies to Aboriginal peoples, was mobilized by the Commissioners to create a space from which Aboriginal peoples could be excluded, and highlight the continuity of this strategy with past debates over Quebec identity. The case of the Bouchard-Taylor Commission demonstrates how ignorance operates in highly sophisticated and often readily justifiable ways to uphold settler interests.L'ignorance et les géographies historiques de l'exclusion autochtone : éléments de preuve découlant de la commission Bouchard-Taylor sur les accommodements raisonnables tenue en 2007Alors qu'il existe une interdépendance entre le colonialisme et l'ignorance, celle-ci est également fortement associée au maintien de relations sociales inégales. Partant de la théorie que l'ignorance est innée et fondée sur un intérêt personnel, les auteurs inscrivent l'analyse de la commission Bouchard-Taylor du Québec tenue en 2007 dans une perspective géographique en vue de mettre en évidence de quelle manière l'ignorance de la réalité autochtone découle d'une stratégie visant à maintenir une occupation inégale de l'espace rhétorique et matériel. La commission Bouchard-Taylor a été mise sur pied dans le but de mener une enquête publique auprès des citoyens du Québec pour recueillir leurs avis pour savoir dans quelle mesure les différences d'ordre culturel devraient faire l'objet d'accommodements dans la province. Autant par les décisions de nature géographique au sujet des endroits choisis pour tenir les audiences publiques que par son propre mandat, la Commission a limité la participation aux Québécois de descendance canadienne-française et aux immigrants récents et de longue date. L'analyse porte ensuite sur la loi et comment les commissaires ont pu tirer parti de l'ignorance de la manière dont elle s'applique aux peuples autochtones pour générer un espace qui pouvait les exclure. Les auteurs soulignent à quel point cette stratégie se situe dans la continuité avec les débats précédents qui ont eu lieu sur l'identité du Québec. La commission Bouchard-Taylor fournit un exemple de

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“…According to Schaefli and Godlewska (2014, 1–2), wilful settler ignorance is structural and self‐interested because it is the result of “not‐knowing,” that is consciously or unconsciously “deployed in ways that perpetuate privilege and domination.” In its structural form, ignorance is shaped according to the interests and aspirations of the dominant—white settler—group (Mills 2007). With this in mind, there exists a crucial task that Regan (2010) has described as “unsettling the settler within.” However, and considering that some, if not myriad Canadians “hold a deep emotional and cultural investment in the status quo” (Davis et al 2017, 399), it is difficult to reshape existing settler‐Canadian consciousness.…”

“…The production of Euro‐western ways of knowing that privilege its geographical knowledge in the discipline is an issue of wilful ignorance and settler evasion, a conscious systematic ignorance sanctioning social exclusion and the perpetuation of white settler authority and knowledge production within the social hierarchy (Schaefli and Godlewska 2014; Tuck and Yang 2012). In the academy, power is extensively embedded in the pursuit and production of Euro‐western “truth,” the knowledge that not only rewards white settler wealth and power, but also serve the capitalist interests and futurity of white settler‐colonial society.…”

Deep-colonising narratives and emotional labour: Indigenous tourism in a deeply-colonised place

“…Writing from the Canadian context, Schaefli and Godlewska (2014: 110) explore how ignorance in settler-colonial states is both wilful and strategic, operating in ‘highly sophisticated and often readily justifiable ways to uphold settler interests’. They argue, ‘[t]he first and most difficult step towards challenging ignorance is recognizing it’.…”