Racism within the Canadian university: Indigenous students’ experiences
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This dissertation examines the experiences of Indigenous post-secondary students at three universities located in Ontario, Canada. Drawing on ethnographic observation, 27 in-depth interviews and demographic surveys, I investigate both the nature and levels of ongoing experiences with racism and discrimination on-campus, as well as the impacts and chosen response strategies.
The primary theoretical contribution is the demonstration of how, in order to create a comprehensive theoretical framework for the analysis of Indigenous peoples’ experiences with racism in Canada, Critical Race Theory (Gillborn 2006; Solórzano & Yosso 2002: Tate 1997) and Settler Colonial Theory (Macoun & Strakosch 2013; Snelgrove, Dhamoon & Corntassel 2014; Tuck & Yang 2012) must be used in combination. The second theoretical contribution is the critique and further development of ‘internalized oppression’ (Pyke 2010); to help understand not only the creation, internalization and maintenance processes involved in internalized racism, but also who is best positioned to eliminate it and how.
First, an analysis is completed of how, within the university context, Indigenous students are experiencing racism and discrimination: which social locations, at what levels, the nature of the racism/discrimination and contextual differences. Following that, an in-depth look is taken at the various impacts of these experiences and the students’ responses: coping/management strategies, support resources, and resistance. And finally, the role of lateral violence within the Indigenous student communities is discussed, including the prevalence of the issue, the impacts, and the processes involved in students recognizing and resisting.
Overall, the data demonstrates that, regardless of differing campus contexts, Indigenous students are facing high levels of racism on a regular basis, which has significant impacts both personally and academically. The use of Critical Race Theory and Settler Colonial Theory in combination provides a useful framework for understanding how and why these circumstances persist, as well as raising questions as to the efficacy of institution-led policies and programs designed to both support Indigenous students and decrease racism on campus.
