Coming to know Indigeneity: Epistemologies of ignorance in the 2003–2015 Ontario Canadian and World Studies Curriculum

Abstract

This article investigates the portrayal of colonialism and Indigenous peoples in curricula and textbooks in the province of Ontario, Canada. The analysis is focused on the curricular documents and texts that constituted Ontario’s social studies and Canadian and World Studies stream between 2003 and 2015, which have informed the understanding of a generation of Ontarians. Drawing on recent work on epistemologies of ignorance, we demonstrate how segregation and past placement of Indigenous content, omission of Indigenous critical perspectives, philosophies, and territories, denial of colonialism, and reinforcement of racialized hierarchies work to encourage logic of relation premised on Indigenous disappearance. Although nine textbooks associated with the 2003–2015 Canadian and World studies curriculum were reviewed by First Nations and Métis educators, critical Indigenous perspectives are frequently undermined in the texts through exclusion from chapter review questions, segregation of content, and imposition of settler voice. Although the Ministry of Education has created a new curriculum, the depth, and perniciousness of epistemologies of ignorance requires sustained involvement of First Nations, Métis and Inuit educators at all levels of curricular and text design, with special attention to the training of teachers.

Keywords:

• Ignorance
• curriculum
• textbooks
• Indigenous peoples
• Ontario
• settler colonialism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Curricular documents are Ontario Ministry of Education-developed standards for each course and grade level. They outline the topics, units and lessons that teachers are expected to teach as well as the learning objectives students are expected to meet.

2 Some of the textbooks on the Trillium List pre-date the 2003-2015 curriculum. This is likely due to the high costs and long timelines of textbook production. Their inclusion means they are Ministry approved for the 2003-2015 curriculum. As of this writing, the new textbooks for the 2013/2015 curriculum have not all been released. Analyzing these texts is an important avenue of future work.

3 High school courses (Grades 9-12) in Ontario are divided into three streams: 1) courses aimed at post-secondary preparation; 2) courses aimed at workplace preparation; and 3) “open” courses that have no prerequisites and are therefore open to all students.

4 This text was reviewed by educators from Six Nations and discusses traditional Mississauga life and spirituality, First Nations’ perspectives on proselytization, challenges to the Wendat destruction trope, Haudenosaunee treaty making as a political and economic strategy to encourage peace, the relationship between the 1763 Royal Proclamation and contemporary land and treaty rights, and contemporary cultural continuity and the diversity of Indigenous perspectives.

5 This text was reviewed by educators from Six Nations and from the Métis National Council.

6 This text was reviewed by educators from Six Nations.

7 Educators from Six Nations are listed as contributors to this text.

8 This includes discussion of the structures of the Blackfoot and Haudenosaunee Confederacies, the work of Haudenosaunee leaders in pursuing international recognition of nation-to-nation agreements, the imposition of band councils through the Indian Act, residential schools, forced removal of children for adoption, the ban against hiring lawyers to advance land claims, treaties, and important Supreme Court cases including Sparrow, Delgamuukw, and Powley. A Cree educator is listed as a contributor to this text.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

This work was supported by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Notes on contributors

Laura M. Schaefli

Laura Schaefli is a PhD candidate in the Department of Geography and Planning at Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario, Canada). Her research interests lie in decolonial and feminist theories and methods, philosophies of knowledge and ignorance, place and space, and geographies of education.

Anne M. C. Godlewska

Anne Godlewska is a Professor in the Department of Geography and Planning at Queen’s University. Her teaching and research interests are in geographies of Indigenous-settler relations; the geographies of education; how we shape our geographies through our everyday actions; the history of science; and the history of mapping. Running through all her work is a concern with the mechanisms and consequences of imperialism and cross-cultural and cross-generational communication.

John Rose

John Rose is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Geography and Planning at Queen’s University. His research interests include historical political ecology and settler colonial studies.