Author Archives: daniella balabuk

Module 4, Post 5 | Publishers & Reconciliation in Canada

The Calls to Action do not specifically mention publishers, though these businesses can be important players in the dissemination of knowledge. BookNet recently published some interesting articles on how publishers can find their role in reconciliation by seeing themselves in the Calls to Action. Notably,

  1. We call upon the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, in consultation and collaboration with Survivors, Aboriginal peoples, and educators, to (i) make age-appropriate curriculum on residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for Kindergarten to Grade Twelve students.
  1. We call upon the corporate sector[…] to (i) Commit to meaningful consultation, building respectful relationships, and obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous peoples before proceeding with economic development projects. (iii) Provide education for management and staff on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations. This will require skills based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.
  1. We call upon Library and Archives Canada to (i) fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations Joinet-Orentlicher Principles, as related to Aboriginal peoples’ inalienable right to know the truth about what happened and why, with regard to human rights violations committed against them in the residential schools.

https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2021/6/21/taking-action-towards-reconciliation-in-the-book-industry

https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2021/6/21/what-it-means-to-talk-about-reconciliation

 

Module 4, Post 4 | Indigenous Corporate Training

A company that offers services to help businesses navigate cultural issues and contribute to reconciliation. My final project focus on how publishers in Canada can move closer to reconciliation and these types of companies and consulting practices offer an interesting solution, as it can be difficult to know where to start and how to move forward — hiring consultation is one way to move closer to goals related to inclusivity.

https://www.ictinc.ca/

Module 4, Post 3 | Weaving Indigenous and western knowledge

An article focusing on the growing interest in educational and research institutions across the country embracing a holistic approach to its scientific methods, which integrates Indigenous knowledge with classroom teaching methods to decolonize education.

A response to the TRC’s Calls to Action, this collaboration reinforces the cultural values of Indigenous knowledge and highlights applicability across a broad range of subjects.

https://www.universityaffairs.ca/features/feature-article/weaving-indigenous-and-western-knowledge/

Module 4, Post 2 | Education is the Key to Reconciliation

Justice Murray Sinclair said,

Education is what got us into this mess — the use of education at least in terms of residential schools — but education is the key to reconciliation. We need to look at the way we are educating children. That’s why we say that this is not an aboriginal problem. It’s a Canadian problem.

How do we go about solving this problem? For starters, we ensure that curriculum reflects Canadian history accurately.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/truth-and-reconciliation-chair-urges-canada-to-adopt-un-declaration-on-indigenous-peoples-1.3096225

https://www.univcan.ca/media-room/media-releases/education-is-the-key-to-meaningful-reconciliation/

https://www.utoronto.ca/news/not-just-part-past-u-t-s-jennifer-brant-teaching-subject-residential-schools-canada

Module 4, Post 1 | Land Education Design Project

Indigenous-led non-profit and community organizations in collaboration with Eve Tuck are working to support several Indigenous community organizations and a youth research collective to encourage land-based education programs that designed by and for Indigenous Peoples and their communities. The Connaught Community Partnerships Research Program recently awarded the project $50,000 in funding.

https://www.irn.utoronto.ca/

https://www.utoronto.ca/news/indigenous-communities-drive-connaught-funded-research-projects

Module 3, Post 5 | NY Times: The Politics of Geography through Textbooks

This article looks at eight textbooks in use in the states of Texas and California and deconstructs the power of narrative and language in establishing a politic agenda. American journalist Dana Goldstein has spent years investigating how Americans learn and this project highlights the profound impact on how what we’re told is authoritative can influence our live choices and behaviour.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/01/12/us/texas-vs-california-history-textbooks.html

 

 

Module 3, Post 4 | A History of American History Textbooks

This article picks apart the slow and painful path of American textbooks from pure propaganda to inexplicably delusional. The article is important for me because it synthesizes some of the fundamental problems with textbooks, the importance of writing for a specific audience, and the recognition that readers are shaped by narratives framed as authoritative. Also discussed are the implications of including multimedia elements, like images, and how selected images can have a lasting (positive/negative) impact on readers.

https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/8/26/20829771/slavery-textbooks-history

Module 3, Post 3 | Decolonizing the Curriculum

An informative and expansive primer on what the decolonization process should look like in a higher education context. Complete with links, videos, tips, and history this article is a good starting point for understanding the importance of decolonizing the curriculum, or any educational content, and how to go about getting started.

https://medium.com/hindsights/what-would-it-mean-to-decolonize-the-curriculum-4fcedbe781d1

 

Module 3, Post 2 | Two Indigenous Scholars on History Textbooks

OISE professors Jennifer Brant and Eve Tuck unpack a section of a Grade 8 history textbook (published by Nelson) on the topic of residential schools. They raise important points about the application of soft language and the framing of history as incidental or accidental. This is in line with my paper topic on the role textbooks publishers play, as well as the potential impact of the tone they take and the narratives they prioritize.

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/06/26/two-indigenous-scholars-read-a-history-textbook-chapter-on-residential-schools-this-is-what-they-would-change.html

Module 3, Post 1 | People for Education

This not-for-profit organization is “independent, non-partisan, and fueled by a belief in the power and promise of public education.” In 2016 they published a report called “What Matters in Indigenous Education: Implementing A Vision Committed to Holism, Diversity, and Engagement,” authored by Pamela Rose Toulouse.

This publication makes a strong argument for the universal application of Indigenous learning principles in education and educational material. Much like the mathematics discussed in the Nicol at al. article we recently read, it highlights the importance in connecting theoretical and abstract learning principles to real life through problem-based inquiry.

https://peopleforeducation.ca/report/what-matters-in-indigenous-education/