First Nations control of First Nations education, an issue of power and knowledge

grantor: University of TorontoThis study is a two-part inquiry into the First Nations control of First Nations Education movement which began in the 1970's. The study is unique in that it utilizes postcolonial, feminist, critical pedagogical, and anti-racist perspectives in the development of theoretical and methodological models. The use of alternative critical and oppositional perspectives facilitates the study of the historical context which, it is argued, is integral to understanding the contemporary situation of the First Nations. Although a comprehensive study of socio-cultural changes which have occurred since European contact is not possible, the thesis argues that the recognition of these changes is also integral in the development of contemporary Native epistemologies and pedagogies. This approach reveals the diversity that characterizes First Nations communities, but it is argued that it is possible to focus on the problems which they share through their relationship with the dominant government. Part One comprises an exploration of colonialism in general, and the study of residential and integrated schooling in particular. Native education of this period is conceptualized under the title of Historical Colonial Indigenous Education, a period when the First Nations did not have any control over their own education but were forced to attend forms of schooling which were alien to their own cultures. The development of theory which explores colonialism is crucial for understanding the way colonialism impacted on the indigenous people of Canada. In the pursuit of land and resources, the destruction of indigenous cultures and languages was a necessary component for the success of colonialism. Schools, such as residential schools, became crucial sites for genocidal practices and policies. The chapter on residential schools reveals, one, the destructiveness of this type of schooling, and two, the way residential school experiences continue to impact on the lives of Native people today. The second part comprises two chapters which focus on the period when the First Nations won the right to have significant control over their own education. This period is conceptualized as the Postcolonial Period. One chapter provides an overview of the First Nations control of First Nations education movement. The problems inherent in this endeavour were identified through an extensive review of existing literature on Native education, and by observation of the practices of Native communities in general and one Native community in particular. The last chapter provides a synthesis of the different strategies, visions, and constraints which are integral to the issue of Native education. A major constraint is that Native educational practices and curricula have to be developed within a Western European educational framework. This section includes a discussion of the way curricula based on Native values and philosophical systems can be developed and implemented.Ph.D