Outside Looking In: Resisting Colonial Discourses of Aboriginality

Abstract

Using postcolonial theory, this article examines the ways in which the staff and members of the board of directors of Outside Looking In (OLI), a youth development through arts- and leisure-based program for Aboriginal youth in Canada, respond to discourses about Aboriginality. Based on interviews with OLI staff and board members, field notes, and the review of archival documents, we argue that OLI staff and board members encounter three dominant discourses: hip-hop is not an Aboriginal activity, Aboriginal youth should learn through mainstream forms of education, and Aboriginal peoples are inherently flawed. We show, however, how OLI exemplifies Bhabha's (1994) notion of hybrid third spaces because it reflects Aboriginal youth's contemporary cultural interests in hip-hop, it integrates kinesthetic education into Eurocentric learning regimes, and its participants return the colonial gaze at OLI's annual performance. OLI exemplifies how leisure activities can be used to challenge colonial discourses of Aboriginality in Canada.

Keywords:

• colonialism
• discourse
• education
• hip-hop
• hybrid third space

Notes

The term Aboriginal is used to make specific reference to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples in Canada (Department of Justice Canada, 2012), while the term Indigenous is used to make reference to Indigenous peoples in the rest of the world.

The number and members of OLI's staff and board have changed since the research was conducted in 2011–12.

OLI staff and board members chose not to disclose the names of First Nations communities that are or have been involved in OLI.