Hi Everyone! I’m really looking forward to reading your blogs throughout the term. My name is Jade, I’m a fourth-year student from Seattle, Washington at UBC Vancouver and I study English literature and have a minor in GRSJ (gender, race, sexuality, social justice). Spring of 2019 I studied abroad at the University of Amsterdam and took courses in Shakespeare, 19th-century philosophy, and Medieval literature. Over the last few years, my favorite areas of study have been feminist theory, environmental justice, and contemporary literature. My favorite books are Jazz by Toni Morrison, Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami, and The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. I am graduating this May and I hope to either pursue a Masters of Management degree in 2021 or find a job at the University in student recruitment or advising.
In ENGL 372, I’m excited to explore British and Indigenous literature through an anti-colonialist lens. I’m curious about national myths and how Canada constructs itself through colonial narratives. My favorite example of colonial patriotism is the Molson beer commercial from 2000 that asserts what it ‘truly’ means to be a Canadian. In a GRSJ course this past semester, I learned about the various ways Canada relies on the invisibility of Indigenous peoples from the land through incarceration, destroying their land for oil, and taking away their rights. I also learned the many ways Indigenous peoples are resisting and reasserting their power over the nation-state. As an American, I was always told that Canada is so much more progressive, that they are kind to Indigenous peoples, welcoming to immigrants, and that they do not have racist practices and policies like the United States. Now, however, I have developed a deeper understanding of the type of practices involved in a settler state and that Canada is not necessarily the progressive nation I believed it to be. For example, the disproportionate representation of Indigenous peoples in prison, the building on pipelines on Indigenous land, and the tar sand factories creating unliveable conditions for Indigenous communities. In this course, I hope to continue to learn how the stories the nation tells itself silence Indigenous existence and reaffirm colonialism.
Eve Tuck in “Suspending Damage: A Letter to Communities” importantly argues that while it is important to understand the impacts of colonialism and how they affect Indigenous communities on a daily basis, we must move beyond the damage. She thus proposes that we study Indigenous history and literature through desire-based research, a framework that is “concerned with understanding complexity, contradiction, and the self-determination of lived lives” (Tuck 416). In this course, I hope to challenge the colonial framework that relies on Indigenous peoples as damaged and to explore various novels by Indigenous authors through a desire-based framework.
I have taken an online class before and participated in weekly online posts, however, I have never partaken in an online group research project. I’m looking forward to developing my technology skills and confidence in communicating effectively online. Talking with my older peers, I am learning that at many jobs these days people work remotely, meaning all of the communication and work are done online. While I anticipate several challenges in the lack of face to face interaction for this course, these struggles will support me in being able to work well anywhere. My ultimate goal is to improve my time-management skills and analytical voice.
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and I’m looking forward to getting started on the course material!
Works Cited
Gutheil, Dean. “I. AM. CANADIAN! by Molson – CBC Archives.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 2000, www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/i-am-canadian-by-molson.
Tuck, Eve. “Suspending Damage: A Letter to Communities.” Harvard Educational Review, vol. 79, no. 3, 2009, pp. 409–428., doi:10.17763/haer.79.3.n0016675661t3n15.