Team Goals

Our goal with this conference is to explore stories in Canadian literature that have become generalized and stereotyped in order to gain insight about how we can promote grounding literary analysis in specific places. We would also like to explore these diverse narratives to earn a better understanding of the location-specific elements of Indigenous cultures.

Our Area Of Research 

Our team will be researching the impact that ignorance has had on the diverse stories and cultures of the First Nations people of Canada. We will be looking at literary articles as well as narratives that explain the impact of generalization on individuals and groups. We hope to gain a better understanding of why location has been ignored in Canadian literature and how we can take steps to change this.

Video of Interest

Matika Wilbur’s Ted Talk emphasizes that the images of Native American culture need to change. She explains that the media portrays Native American people through images that promote similarities and neglect the unique traditions, songs, ceremonies, languages, stories and experiences of individuals and tribes. Wilbur’s talk also stresses the importance of storytelling. Through stories Wilbur tells it becomes evident that history books do not reveal truth, but instead group all Native American people together through ignorant generalizations. She gives insight into solving this problem of globalized ignorance in saying that wisdom makes change, not knowledge. Our team will be exploring how to promote a change of focus from generalizations to place specific truths, realities and stories.

Works Cited:

TEDxTalks. “Changing the Way We See Native Americans | Matika Wilbur | TEDxTeachersCollege.” YouTube. YouTube, 23 July 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIzYzz3rEZU. Accessed 20 Nov 2016.