Stories of Another Kind: Engaging in Generative Conversations in Pedagogical Spaces

Abstract

Many of us from what are referred to as “dominant cultures” are reluctant to speak because of fear of offending those who are marginalized and perhaps making matters worse. Over the last several years, I have attended talks on various kinds of discrimination, especially when racialization is the main focus. As a White woman of privilege, I often have the experience of being the target of difficult accusations. In essence, I often feel myself being positioned as the problem. And these kinds of allegations are not easy to hear. In response, there are times when I find myself grappling silently while secretly yearning for conversations that could be more generative and insightful. By revisiting some of these experiences, I hope to deepen understandings of the kinds of responses that seem to prevent us from working in more relational ways. Further, I hope that by doing so, I might also understand some of the reactions and difficulties our White (majority) as well as our marginalized students tend to experience.

KEYWORDS:

• cultural diversity
• multiplicity
• politics of relationship
• racialization

Notes

According to Wikipedia, “The dominant culture in a society refers to the established language, religion, behavior, values, rituals, and social customs. These traits are often the norm for the society as a whole. The dominant culture is usually but not always in the majority and achieves its dominance by controlling social institutions such as communication, educational institutions, artistic expression, law, political process, and business. The concept is generally used in academic discourse in fields such as sociology, anthropology and cultural studies. In a multicultural society, various cultures are celebrated and respected equally. Dominant culture can be promoted with deliberation and by the suppression of other cultures or subcultures.”

It is important to note that although the White population is often thought of as the majority culture, it is in fact the minority.

In this article I use the term Aboriginal to refer to those people who are indigenous to Canada and the United States. When I use the term Indigenous, I am referring to others throughout the world who are the original inhabitants and have usually been colonized. When the term Indian is used, I am using the author's words. I am aware of the history of this descriptor in that it was a term applied by colonizers and settlers to the Indigenous peoples of Canada and the United States.

See for example, Towards a Bibliography on Critical Whiteness Studies, Center on Democracy in a Multiracial Society at the University of Illinois, for an excellent overview of current studies.

“First Nations experience disproportionately high rates of tuberculosis, diabetes, injuries, suicide and cardiovascular disease, although this is not necessarily the case in all communities. There is a high level of diversity among different nations and communities (Reading 2009; Assembly of First Nations/FNIGC 2007; Health Canada 2005, 2009). In addition to health outcomes, First Nations also experience disparities in the heath determinants. Based on the Community Well-being Index, a composite measure that includes education, income, labor force participation/employment and housing indicators, First Nations communities lag far behind compared to the general Canadian population on all indicators, and have experienced a decline in housing conditions from 2001 to 2006 (INAC April 2010). Nearly one-third of First Nations communities consider their water unsafe to Drink, and from 40% to 49% of homes have mold or mildew (First Nations Centre 2005)” (Jackson Pulver et al., 2010, in their World Health Organization Background Paper, “Indigenous Health—Australia, Canada, Aotearoa, New Zealand, and the United States—Laying claim to a future that embraces health for us all”).

During a classroom discussion of racism, a student voiced her pain over her body size and was dismissed quite quickly by others in the group. The argument was that racialization is not temporary or all that malleable. Inscriptions on the body cannot be erased. Yet it is through these kinds of disclosures that students try to understand. Empathy requires an emotional connection of some sort.

Survivance is a term used in Quebec nationalism and one that has been also taken up by Vizenor in several of his works. Among his many other neologisms, “survivance”—a cross between the words “survival” and “resistance"—carries with it an implication of an ongoing, changing process, rather than the simple continuance of old ways into the modern world. Vizenor also points out that for tribal peoples, the act of survival is based in resistance.

“A common misconception about Chinook,” Glavin writes, “is that it was simply an argot, invented by fur traders, in order to facilitate communication with and among aboriginal trappers associated with the maritime fur traders.” A Great Voice takes pains to rebut this contention, one most notably voiced by historian F. W. Holway, by citing research by University of Victoria linguist Barbara Harris, who claims Chinook arose prior to the influx of Europeans.

Nicholas Klassen, in a January 10, 2006, article on the blog, The Tyee, stated: “Chinook served as a tangible bridge between all groups—whether aboriginal, European, Chinese, Japanese, even Hawaiian—and as a foundation for a syncretic culture where no single identity had to be dominant. Carryl Coles, whose Neskonlith forebears in the Shuswap region spoke Chinook, sees how the jargon would have connected cultures: ‘Language is an obvious barrier for communication and Chinook seems to have brought different people together. So there's a lesson in that.'”

At the time of conceptualizing this article, there was a debate occurring over the crisis in Attawapiskat in Northern Ontario. The Assembly of First Nations collectively argued for increased funding in order to address a severe lack of housing. Third party monitoring instituted by the federal government in order to monitor funds was not welcomed by the community. For a CBC report see: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/.../pol-attawapiskat-court-ruling.html.

I am grateful to Dr. Alan Pence for introducing the term, “generative curriculum” in the School of Child and Youth Care when working with Aboriginal communities. I would like to use this term for all students in our programs.