Prospectus
The big idea has evolved significantly over the past few weeks as I investigate further into my topic. The project was intended to focus on specific ways that university students would be able to engage with Indigenous communities and the challenges that they are currently facing. However, it has shifted towards the principles that an individual who is not part of these communities should be aware of when engaging. This transition from specific ways to engage towards the principles of engagement is important because it allows more flexibility for the individual willing to engage an understanding of the context and can decide after seeking to understand. In class, a common theme that is discussed is how there is never one single right answer and it depends on the context of the given situation. Thus, having rigid guidelines rather than general principles would contradict what is being taught in class. I believe in the importance of principles because it can provide some form of support but is open to all challenges that communities have faced and will be facing in the future that one cannot presently predict.
The investigation of principles contribute to the big idea of how an outsider would ethically engage with the challenges of those who are within the group. Many individuals are not conscious of the issues that they perpetuate within the colonial system, and when one realizes this, they want to engage. Yet just as the system is very complex, it is a complex process to engage as well. Whether these are on issues of international development, environmental activism or social justice, different people within our society are privileged and have power. It is important to acknowledge ones’ positionality and to understand where one may use their privilege where it is best suited to support the needs of the communities who are oppressed by patriarchal, colonial systems. Perhaps these principles may not be able to change the system, but hopefully it will help individuals navigate through these systems that are invisible to many. I hope the principles are a baseline that students may further investigate as a place where more questions arise from.
I would like to distill principles that arise from the literature from my own interpretation and then test my assumptions with people who are more knowledgeable of this field. For example, after reading the principles of reconciliation from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, I interpret one of the principles to be having a shared sense of responsibility. That it should not be a problem that Indigenous communities solely poses which the “privileged outsider” should come help solve, but perhaps should be view as our collective problem where Indigenous communities deal with its consequences and that settlers we must help.
I plan to prove my thesis using two methods. I plan to speak to a scholar on First Nations and Indigenous studies about the principles that I have distilled from the literature. Through this interaction, I hope to see whether what I have interpreted as principles are valid from their point of view and if not, its criticisms. Whether the principles that I have brought up suggests are right or wrong, the process of testing my own way of thinking is important as it allows for the unlearning of an outsider. It will test my own thinking and this is important to understand as this may be a similar process that other students or members of our society may experience as well. In addition, I hope to look at a diverse set of sources to see if the principles that I have identified would fit well within those other platforms. For example, I will investigate film or other books to see where the principles fit or do not fit in. As stated earlier, I will be looking at the TRC and looking at other texts that emphasize the challenges Indigenous communities from colonization. I am looking specifically at the way in which settlers have engaged with Indigenous groups and how the principles that have been previously identified could play a role within these narratives.
What many readers may not see but I hope that they focus on are the relevance of the principles to the contexts. I hope the reader also sees the process of learning through the investigation of the principles and the direction that is needed to be taken. Lastly, I hope the reader leaves with questions to consider and a motivation to engage in these issues.