About the Book
Drawing on treaties, international law, the work of other Indigenous scholars, and especially personal experiences, Marie Battiste documents the nature of Eurocentric models of education, and their devastating impacts on Indigenous knowledge. Chronicling the negative consequences of forced assimilation, racism inherent to colonial systems of education, and the failure of current educational policies for Aboriginal populations, Battiste proposes a new model of education, arguing the preservation of Aboriginal knowledge is an Aboriginal right. Central to this process is the repositioning of Indigenous humanities, sciences, and languages as vital fields of knowledge, revitalizing a knowledge system which incorporates both Indigenous and Eurocentric thinking.
Table of Contents:
Foreword / Rita Bouvier Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: The Legacy of Forced Assimilative Education for Indigenous Peoples Chapter 3: Mi'kmaw Education: Roots and Routes Blending Mi'kmaw knowledge with Catholic knowledge Nova Scotia's Intervention in Mi'kmaw Education Canada's Intervention 1. Planting Out 2. Indian Residential Schools 3. Centralization Policy 4. Fiscal Transfers from Canada to Provinces 5. White Paper Policy on Equality 6. Indian Control of Indian Education Policy 7. Canada's Apology Chapter 4: Creating the Indigenous Renaissance Collaborative Conscientization Indigenous Methodologies Constitutional Reconciliation Establishing Transformative Principles in UN Law 1. International Labour Organization Convention 169, Concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries (1989) 2. UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) Mi'kmaw Reform of Education 1. Mi'kmawey School: Bilingual Education 2. Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey 3. Mi'kmaw Immersion The Blessed New Stories Chapter 5: Animating Ethical Trans-Systemic Education Systems Generating an Ethical Space for Decolonization Decolonizing the Humanities Decolonizing Science Conclusion Chapter 6: Confronting and Eliminating Racism The Confrontation with Racism Cognitive Construction of Racism Manifestation of Hate Ideologies Chapter 7: Respecting Aboriginal Languages in Education Systems Aboriginal Language Learners The Language Crisis and Planning for Change Stabilizing Aboriginal Languages: The Challenge Complexity and Complementarity in Finding Solutions Conclusion 1. Measuring outcomes 2. Success of Immersion 3. ALP planning 4. Ongoing systematic evaluation Chapter 8: Displacing Cognitive Imperialism Chapter 9: Recommendations for Constitutional Reconciliation of Education Recommendations for Constitutional Reconciliation 1. Affirm Canada's Commitment to Indigenous Knowledge 2. Recognize and Affirm Aboriginal and Treaty Rights as Creating Constitutional Educational Jurisdictions 3. Affirm Aboriginal Lifestyles and Intergenerational Use of Indigenous Knowledge 4. Affirm Aboriginal Teachings of Next Generations within Place 5. Develop and Support Indigenous Knowledge Innovations in Educational Institutions 6. Develop Opportunities to Learn in Order to Teach 7. Create new certification and standard setting for First Nations schools 8. Encourage Research and Innovations in Classroom Work 9. Adopt Principles and Guidelines for Respectful Protocols 10. Implement the UN Human Rights Covenants and the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 11. Implement the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 12. Protect Indigenous Knowledge and Heritage 13. Support First Nations' Capacity to Oversee Use of Indigenous Knowledge 14. Develop Research and Capacity Building in Indigenous Knowledge and Pedagogy Chapter 10: Possibilities of Educational Transformations Recognizing and Affirming the Learning Spirit Postcolonial Post-Secondary Education Indigenous Self-Determination References Index
About the Author :
Marie Battiste, Professor of Educational Foundations, founder and first Academic Director, Aboriginal Education Research Centre, University of Saskatchewan, is a Mi'kmaw scholar, knowledge keeper, and educator from Potlotek First Nation, Nova Scotia. Marie earned degrees from the University of Maine (B.S.), Harvard (Ed.M.), and Stanford (Ed.D.). She has also received honorary degrees from the University of Maine at Farmington, St. Mary's University, and Thompson Rivers University. A Fellow in the Royal Society of Canada, she has also received the Distinguished Academic Award from the Canadian Association of University Teachers, the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation Award in Education, the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal, the 125th Year Queen's Award for Service to the Community, the Distinguished Researcher Award from the University of Saskatchewan, and Eagle Feathers from the Mi'kmaq Grand Council and Eskasoni community. She edited two highly influential books from UBC Press, texts that continue to be taught nationally and internationally: First Nations Education: The Circle Unfolds (1995) and Reclaiming Indigenous Voice and Vision (2000). She has coauthored, with J. Youngblood Henderson, Protecting Indigenous Knowledge: A Global Challenge (Purich Publishing 2000), identifying threats to Indigenous knowledge from global patenting and intellectual property regimes while affirming the linguistic and land-based grounds of resistance to paternalism and predation. A prolific writer and speaker, she has developed an international profile for advancing the decolonization of education, the development of Indigenous voice and vision, antiracist education as violence prevention, and the institutionalization of the Indigenous humanities, science, and knowledge.
Review :
With this book, Battiste helps us to see the ways that this imperialist approach to education continues today in the Canadian educational system. ... what I am most grateful for from this work is the vision Battiste lays out for the transformation of how we think about knowledge and learning in this country. It is this part of her work in particular that makes this a relevant read for any Canadian, not solely educators. -- Tamara Shantz Intotemak, Vol. 43, No. 1 Battiste's "storytelling manner" provides a textured analysis and discussion of the multilayered and multipronged components embodied within the discourse on Indigenous education and the need to decolonize the education system in its entirety ... a must-read for all administrators and educators, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, especially those who are involved in educational policy. -- Jennifer Brant Brock Education Journal Vol. 23, No. 2 Battiste has carefully crafted her book in a manner that goes from the deeply personal to the undeniably political in a seamless fashion that most writers strive to accomplish, but few succeed. ... with Battiste's leadership and inspiration, we can become catalysts for change, rather than harbingers of history. The academy remains indebted to scholars like Dr. Battiste, who has the wisdom and political acumen to "show us the way". -- Tim Claypool Education Matters, Vol. 3, Issue 1 Decolonizing Education provides an opportunity for educators, researchers, students, and parents alike to think about how it is they envision a well-rounded, just, and balanced curriculum. -- Mandy Krahn Alberta Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 60, No. 3 Marie Battiste gives us a book that is comprehensive in its scope, with 10 chapters of tightly written prose extensively referenced and organized around relevant research. The book will be a welcome addition to all those who seek to provide the best education we can for all our learners. -- Wally Penetito AlterNative Vol. 11, No. 1
