ERIC Number: EJ1157557
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1927-2677
EISSN: N/A
Education as Reconciliation: Resorting Inuit Nunangat
McKechnie, Jay
Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, v4 n1 p56-67 2015
Education is stated as the number one priority of the Government of Nunavut's "Sivumiut Abluqta" mandate. The Nunavut education system is seen by many as failing to provide Inuit with the promise of supporting Inuit economic and social well-being. Today in Nunavut, there is a growing awareness of the effects of past colonialist polices and the need for individual and group healing. However, within the current education reforms, there is little discourse that reflects this colonialist history and how it continues to shape education in Nunavut. This paper seeks to answer the following questions: How did the transition from an autonomous lifestyle on the land, to a dependent lifestyle in communities, affect Inuit society? How are the intergenerational affects of this transition manifested in the classrooms of Nunavut? How can the education system facilitate a public discourse that supports healing and reconciliation? As a high school social studies teacher in Nunavut, I am primarily interested in addressing the role of Qallunaat (non-Inuit) teachers working in Nunavut. As part of the effort across Canada to find meaningful ways of reconciling the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians, I see myself as an educator as having an important role in this process of reconciliation. I will discuss the complex interplay of colonialist policies, intergenerational trauma, attachment, and change through the lens of Paulo Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed". I will argue that understanding how intergenerational trauma continues to shape education in Nunavut is crucial in creating a shared narrative, that can ultimately lead to reconciliation by bringing individuals together in partnerships, to undertake the healing process and social reform.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Canada Natives, Geographic Regions, Educational Change, Tribes, Role of Education, Culturally Relevant Education, Indigenous Populations, Trauma, Cultural Influences, History, Conflict Resolution, Acculturation, Residential Schools, Language Usage, Attachment Behavior, Social Bias, Social Justice, Racial Bias, Change Strategies
Sciedu Press. 1120 Finch Avenue West Suite 701-309, Toronto, ON., M3J 3H7, Canada. Tel: 416-479-0028; Fax: 416-642-8548; e-mail: jct@sciedupress.com; Web site: http://www.sciedupress.com/journal/index.php/jct
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A