Teaching and Learning about Settler-colonial Racism: A Case for “Unsettling” Minoritizing and Multicultural Perspectives

Abstract

This article contributes to emerging efforts to decolonize race-based approaches and antiracist pedagogies in sociology. Building on recent scholarship on settler colonialism and decolonization as well as her experiences of being unsettled, the author discusses the limitations of her critical sociological toolkit for understanding and teaching about the cultural violence associated with “Indian” sport mascots. By discussing an active-learning writing assignment and students’ work from an online course in sport and society, the author argues for sociologists to go beyond frameworks that conceptualize American Indians as a racial or ethnic group seeking greater inclusion in a multicultural nation and consider ongoing settler colonialism that structures U.S. society. The author contends that adding land back into sociological frameworks will help make visible legitimized racism and the cultural logic of elimination and replacement of Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island. To conclude, the author advocates for instructors to be critically self-reflective and to use sociology classrooms as sites of decolonization.

Barriers to Including Indigenous Content in Canadian Health Professions Curricula

“…Most adults in Canada-including university professors and health care professionals-have not received adequate education in relation to the health of Indigenous peoples throughout their high school, post-secondary, and/or professional education (TRC, 2015a). In turn, it is unsurprising that many do not know some of the basics in relation to our collective history of colonialism and the unique determinants of health that affect Indigenous peoples (Angus Reid Institute, 2018;Environics Institute, 2016, 2019. Interviews with faculty at a medical school in Canada revealed that none had received any formal training regarding Indigenous heath, with some expressing common inaccurate beliefs that discounted the unique determinants of health affecting Indigenous Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l'éducation 44:3 (2021) www.cje-rce.ca Barriers to Indigenous Content Inclusion 664 peoples (Sylvestre et al, 2019).…”

“…Many scholars have argued for the need to "unsettle" assumptions that Indigenous peoples represent one of many equity-seeking groups, and for individuals and institutions to move beyond multicultural frameworks to those focused on recognizing the unique status of Indigenous peoples (Allan & Smylie, 2015;Battiste & Youngblood Henderson, 2012;McGibbon et al, 2014;McNally & Martin, 2017;Pelak, 2019;Robertson, 2015;Steinman, 2016;St. Denis, 2011).…”

Empowering students to confront environmental injustice: Dialogue, theory, empathy, and partnership

“…A difficult but arguably necessary component of this storytelling is a discussion of privilege, i.e., the advantages that dominant groups gain from the disadvantages of other groups (McIntosh, 1989 ). Here, White instructors can play an incredibly valuable role by stepping forward to model self-disclosure and transparency with respect to their own lived experience with race for their students (Akamine et al, 2019 ; Pelak, 2019 ; Stapleton, 2020 ). They can do this by openly reflecting on their own White and/or fair-skinned privilege, i.e., the “invisible package of unearned assets (McIntosh, 1989 :10)” that is inherited by Whites.…”

“…Doing this creates breathing room and opens up a space for constructive dialogue by diminishing the atmosphere of accusation, judgment, and condemnation that oftentimes poisons our shared conversations about racial oppression, social inequality, and the environment. As we seek to inculcate, cultivate, and disseminate environmental justice consciousness from the inside-out, both within ourselves and in our broader communities, self-disclosure about our own personal struggles with these issues signals openness and a willingness to listen to others that can be nothing less than transformational (see Verduzco-Baker, 2018 ; Harbin et al, 2019 ; Akamine et al, 2019 ; Pelak, 2019 ; Santellano, Higuera, Arriaga, 2021 ).…”

Book Review: Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land

“…Jensen’s point in sharing those historical facts is that Americans need to reckon with the past while avoiding narratives of past-ness and instead highlighting the continued presence of Indigenous peoples. This approach allows for the whole book to be used effectively in discussions about the legacies of settler colonial racism, especially when coupled with research articles on and about incorporating such content in courses (see McKay et al 2020; Pelak 2019).…”