Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Mapping With The Land: Co-Developing A Cumulative Impact Monitoring And Land Stewardship Framework With Sambaa K’E First Nation, Northwest Territories, Canada, Michael S. Mcphee

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Across the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada, Indigenous populations are striving to achieve effective environmental protection, whilst navigating complex methods, policies, and research relationships within co-management contexts. This thesis seeks to identify how differing cultural systems, environmental change, and fractured partnerships may be unified to align with the needs of the Sambaa K’e First Nation (SKFN), a remote Dehcho Dene community. Indigenous methodologies guided co-development of research questions with SKFN leadership which yielded objectives a) develop a GIS-based method to manage, organize and mobilize cultural and environmental data; b) develop a new stewardship monitoring procedure so that users can apply the …

Dancing Around And Through Harm: Examining The Lived Experiences Of Women Of Colour With Gender-Based Violence In The Toronto & Kitchener-Waterloo Latin Dance Communities, Lexi Salt

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Given the systemic nature of gender-based violence in Canada, as well as the increasing popularity of Latin dance, it is important to better understand the particular and culturally-specific ways gender-based violence manifests itself within the Latin dance community. This research study examines the lived experiences of women of colour with gender-based violence in the Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo Latin dance communities. Two groups of participants took part in semi-structured interviews: 14 women of colour dancers, and six “Power Players”, leaders in the Latin dance community who are in a position of power (e.g., instructors, organizers, DJs). The data was analyzed using …

Well-Being, Discrimination, And Self-Management Among Racialized Lgbq+ Newcomers Living In Waterloo Region, Ontario, Emily Cox

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Racism and homo/biphobia may negatively impact the well-being of racialized LGBTQ+ newcomers. While current research focuses predominantly on negative aspects of well-being (e.g., distress, exclusion), research on resilience and positive aspects of well-being (e.g., positive affect) is limited. Although self-management strategies (i.e., activities and attitudes to improve one’s well-being) could be a key factor in promoting well-being, previous research has not addressed how racialized LGBTQ+ newcomers use self-management strategies. Further, there is limited research about the role service providers (e.g., settlement services, mental and physical health services) play in supporting these strategies. In this study, eight racialized LGBQ+ newcomers and …

Beyond A Mapping Exercise: Inclusion Of Aboriginal Traditional Ecological Knowledge In Parks And Protected Areas Management, David Cook

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This paper examines current approaches for Parks and Protected Areas (PPA) managers in incorporating Aboriginal Traditional and Ecological Knowledge (ATEK) into their management plans. This paper focuses on two case-studies. They are Nahanni National Park and Reserve in the Dehcho region of the Northwest Territories, and the Whitefeather Forest Protected Area in the Pikangikum First Nations Traditional Territory in Ontario. They were chosen because of their unique approaches to include Aboriginal communities in the planning process and their designation as UNESCO World Heritage sites. The broader indigenous involvement policies of both Parks Canada and Ontario Parks are examined using academic …

Exploring The Relationship Between Gender, Race, And Space, And Toronto Community Housing Policy, Anita Rachel Ewan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation presents the racial-gendered lived experiences of Black women living in Toronto Community Housing (TCH; subsidized housing). This research found that Black women and their families are disproportionately faced with challenges due to barriers caused by housing policy and procedures that also affect the overall development and wellbeing of their children. It also highlights the ways in which Black women continue to thrive and survive in the face of detrimental and derelict living conditions; accomplished through community development and support initiatives, and fostering strong communities.

This is a qualitative research project that includes an art-based method. Utilizing a feminist …

The Examination Of News Media Representation Of Indigenous Murder Victims In Canada: A Case Study Of Colten Boushie’S Death, Latasha Vanevery

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The power of media outlets such as newspaper and televised news coverage could shape public perception and influence our policies on issues addressed in the news. More specifically, the media representations of Indigenous people in Canada often include racism, stereotypical assumptions, power struggles, and inaccurate accounts of the event being captured (Johnson, 2011). As a result, the western dominant perspective of Indigenous people would not be challenged resulting in the public perceiving Indigenous people as a group to be overlooked upon. To date, existing research on the media representations of Indigenous murder victims in Canada has focused solely on missing …

Transformative Social Work Education: Student Learning Needs And The Truth And Reconciliation Commission's 94 Calls To Action, Garrison Mccleary

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The social work profession has played, and continues to play, an integral role in the development and implementation of discriminatory and harmful practices against Indigenous individuals, families, and communities across Canada (Blackstock, 2011). The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) 94 Calls to Action provide a comprehensive list of recommendations of which the primary focuses on child welfare. This Call to Action centres on ensuring that social workers are, “properly educated and trained about the history and impacts of residential schools” (TRC, 2015). This responsibility falls to Faculties and Schools of Social Work Social work to ensure social work …

Writing Activism: Indigenous Newsprint Media In The Era Of Red Power, Elizabeth Best

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis reconstructs Indigenous activism in the era of Red Power, 1972-1976, by examining three newspapers, the Native Youth Movement (NYM), The Native Voice (TNV) and The Native People (TNP). By linking these newspapers, the overarching themes of 1970s Indigenous activism are explored in order to understand the social conditions faced by young Indigenous people. Through a content analysis of these newspapers, the author examines questions such as: what were the living conditions of Indigenous people during the 1970s? What mattered most to the journalists and editors of these papers? What did Indigenous grassroots activism in Western Canada look like …

Theories Of The Self, Race, And Essentialization In Buddhism In The United States During The “Yellow Peril,” 1899-1957, Ryan Anningson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation is an intellectual history tracing developing notions of the Self in Buddhism through Buddhist publications during the years from 1899-1957. I define this time period as the Era of the Yellow Peril, due to common views in the United States of an Asian “other” which formed a larger clash of civilizations globally. 1899-1957 was marked by pessimism and dread due to two World Wars and the Great Depression, while popular and academic cultures argued for the validity of race sciences, and the application of these “sciences” through eugenics. Buddhism in the United States was created through a global …

National Crises And Moments Of Laughter In ‘Second Interregnum’ South African Drama, 2001-2014, J. Coplen Rose

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation analyzes Anglophone South African dramatic critiques of national crises in the post-apartheid moment. Focusing specifically on the years after Nelson Mandela’s retirement, it examines some of the country’s prominent plays produced between 2001 and 2014. This was an important period of social and political change in South Africa, described by drama theorist Marcia Blumberg as a second interregnum where acts of reconciliation or disaffection were staged frequently (“Reconciling” 140). I build on Blumberg’s temporal model by extending her framework to account for recent events of national significance leading up to, and including, Mandela’s death in 2013. In addition …

More Than Stone And Iron: Indigenous History And Incarceration In Canada, 1834-1996, Seth Adema

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation examines Indigenous (First Nation, Métis, and Inuit) history as played out in Canadian prisons. It argues that in the prison, processes of colonialism, decolonization, and neocolonialism took place simultaneously. In the nineteenth century, the prison was built as part of a network of colonial institutions and polices. It was imagined, designed, and built by representatives of the Canadian state alongside other colonial institutions, drawing on similar intellectual traditions. It maintains the imprint of this colonial origin. Prisons also became arenas for Indigenous cultural exchange and cultural creation, which in most cases subverted the logic of the prison. This …

Host Community Narratives Of Volunteer Tourism In Ghana: From Developmentalism To Social Justice, Danielle E. Lediard

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

It is evident from the research around volunteer tourism that local perspectives are sorely lacking. Instead of the focus of research being on the communities that volunteer tourism is meant to help, the emphasis remains on the experiences of the volunteers. Although many researchers identify the lack of attention directed towards host communities as a problem, there remains a lack of research in this area. The importance in the existing research, then, remains on the ‘us’ in developed countries instead of the those in developing countries that volunteer tourism is meant to help. The primary objective of this research is …

Holding Canada Accountable: An Evaluation Of Canada's Compliance To The United Nations Declaration On The Rights Of Indigenous Peoples, Jackson A. Smith

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Compliance of human rights norms requires the application of pressure from a multitude of directions and levels. It takes individual advocacy, micro-system/organizational/community-level pressure, and macro-level pressure from other nation-states and international organizations and governance bodies. This MA study focuses on the mechanisms employed by the United Nations to monitor the compliance of signatory nation-states to the standards established in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), with particular focus on Canada. A crucial goal of this study is to translate the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNSRRIP), James Anaya’s, findings on the …

The Warrior Women Of Transnational Cinema: Gender And Race In Hollywood And Hong Kong Action Movies, Lisa Funnell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In The Warrior Women of Transnational Cinema, I consider the significance of transnational Asian action women in the post-1997 Hong Kong cinema; more specifically, I explore how Pan-Asian (e.g. Michelle Yeoh, Pei Pei Cheng, Ziyi Zhang), Asian American (Lucy Liu, Maggie Q, Marsha Yuen), and Asian Canadian (e.g. Francoise Yip, Charlene Choi, Kristy Yang) warrior women function as a source of transnational female identity for local, Pan-Asian (i.e. East and Southeast Asian), and diasporic Asian audiences. I argue that the post-1997 Hong Kong cinema—and not Hollywood—has offered space for the development of Pan-Asian and Asian North American screen identities …

Understanding Academic Success For Onkwehonwe (Indigenous) Students Through The Use Of An Onkwehonwe'neha (Indigenous Methodology), Ashley Victoria Dorothy Johnson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

School-retention rates for Indigenous (Onkwehonwe) students are disproportionately lower than the non-Indigenous population in Canada (Mendelson, 2006). Currently, few studies on Native education acquire the perspectives and knowledge from successful OS. Many nonpersistence factors for OS have been uncovered, but few studies have offered solutions. Additionally, there is minimal (re)search using an Indigenous methodology (Onkwehonwe’neha) in the exploration Onkwehonwe education. This search (study) focused on the perspectives and experiences of six successful OS (i.e., five graduate students and one entering a graduate program). Two of the six participants were Aboriginal student-services coordinators at accredited universities within Ontario, Canada. Through the …

To 'Brown It Up' Or 'Bring Down The Brown': Identity And Strategy In Second-Generation, South Asian-Canadian Youth, Purnima Sundar

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

There is a growing body of research examining how ethnicity and race are implicated in identity development among ethno-racially diverse youth. Much of this research has focused on newcomer youth, resulting in a limited understanding of the particular challenges experienced by those have spent the majority of their lives in multicultural Canada. Furthermore, most of this research has portrayed identity as a static property, and youth as rather passive in the acquisition and expression of their identities. The current study explored the complex and dynamic ways that racialized youth create and recreate identities within the various social environments they participate. …

Two Voices (Sylvia Jamieson Sandy, Mohawk, Ontario), Judith Anne Jamieson Mitton

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Two Voices is the story of Sylvia Jamieson Sandy, a 95 year old Elder and Clan Mother of the Wolf Clan, Mohawk Nation, Six Nations Territory on the Grand River. The thesis employs the methodology of borrowing in which the participants use each other’s gifts and talents; the participants are Sylvia and her urban-raised cousin who has been entrusted by Sylvia to carry her story outside of Six Nations Territory. In her own words, Sylvia tells of her experiences and memories of the Jamieson family, and her life as a teacher, an entrepreneur, a community member and Elder. Sylvia’s story, …

Winning The War, Winning The Peace: The Image Of The 'Indian' In English-Canada, 1930-1948, Robert Scott Sheffield

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation examines the impact of the Second World War on the image of the 'Indian' prevalent in English-Canada between 1930 and 1948. Traditionally, historical studies have assumed that the war formed a watershed in Canadian social, cultural and Aboriginal history: marking the end of the 'era of irrelevance' for Aboriginal people and creating a paradigm-shift in feelings about 'racial' tolerance and human rights. This study explores the shift in English-Canadian images of the 'Indian' from 1930 to 1948, as a way of testing the prevailing interpretation of the war as a major historical pivot in Canadian cultural constructions of …

An Unblinking Gaze: Readerly Response-Ability And Racial Reconstructions In Toni Morrison's 'The Bluest Eye' And 'Beloved', Lara Mary Fulton

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis examines Toni Morrison's reconstruction of racial representations in The Bluest Eye and Beloved. Morrison stresses the need for a transformation of current representations of black and white culture in her critical study, Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination, in which Morrison examines how black culture has been (mis)represented and (mis)perceived by white Western culture and discourse. She argues that idealized and valorized notions of "whiteness," white identity, and white culture have been constructed from denigrating, binary oppositional (mis)perceptions of "blackness," black identity, and black culture. These stereotypical (mis)perceptions maintain white cultural dominance over …

"One Tricky Coyote": The Fiction Of Thomas King, Giselle Rene Lavalley

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis evaluates the literary achievement of Thomas King from an individual Aboriginal perspective by examining specifically his novels, Medicine River and Green Grass, Running Water, with reference to his short stories. It argues that textual readings which merely impose the Western literary tradition upon Aboriginal texts invariably limit their scope of interpretation and understanding. The study of Aboriginal literature necessitates a holistic approach that involves historical, political, and cultural contextualizations.

I note briefly the cultural differences between my own response and non-Aboriginal responses, the latter mostly in the form of reviews, and proceed to analyze issues present in …

Native Voices On Native Science: Mohawk Perspectives On The Concept, Practice, And Meaning Of A Knowledge Production System Rooted In Traditional Native Thought, Pamela Esther Johnson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Community psychology is strongly committed to the value of cultural relativity and diversity. Acquiring knowledge regarding cultural differences is essential if community psychology is to realize this value. This paper provides a culture specific perspective on the form and meaning of a knowledge system rooted in traditional Mohawk thought. The academic literature regarding research on Native people reveals an ethnocentric description of native reality. My premise is that research in Native communities has been ideologically biased by virtue of the interpretation of native reality from the perspective of mainstream western scientific assumptions. The ability to obtain culturally relevant knowledge hinges …

The Life Stories Of A Woman From Rosebud: Names And Naming In 'Lakota Woman' And 'Ohitika Woman' (Mary Brave Woman Olguin, South Dakota), Larissa Petrillo

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Lakota Woman (1991) and Ohitika Woman (1994) are the consecutive life stories of Mary Brave Woman Olguin (also known as Mary Crow Dog and Mary Brave Bird). The books portray Mary's telling of her life and its connection with Lakota history and tradition. Non-Native artist and writer, Richard Erdoes, was involved in the co-authorship of both books and recent criticism often focuses upon Erdoes' involvement in the writing process. I suggest that a reading which emphasizes Erdoes' contribution only isolates the reader from the actual subject of Lakota Woman and Ohitika Woman: Mary Brave Woman Olguin's life and the …

Aboriginal Students And Postsecondary Education: A Participatory Exploration Of Experiences And Needs At A University And Community College In Northeastern Ontario, Wendy Darlene Young

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Aboriginal people are increasingly seeking forms of post-secondary education that meet their cultural, political, social and spiritual needs. Universities and colleges have a responsibility to become involved in the decolonization process by taking a proactive stance in relation to the changes which are required to meet these needs. The research described in this dissertation is a bicultural, participatory action project which sought to document the experiences and needs of Aboriginal students at a university and community college in North Bay, Ontario in order to lay the groundwork for new programs and services which might be developed. Research Circles and Individual …

Comparisons Of Employment Barriers Between Visible Minority And Anglo-Saxon Women In Different Occupations, Harjeet Lamba

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Minority groups tend to face disproportionately higher rates of unemployment, underemployment and restricted job mobility than non-minority groups. In recognition of the inequalities borne by these groups in the labour force, Judge Rosalie Abella produced a report iterating the most “efficient, effective, and equitable means of promoting employment equity.” The federal Employment Act in 1986 was produced in response to the report. Four designated groups were identified: women, visible minorities, disabled persons and First Nations people. Due primarily to the weak enforcement mechanisms of the federal legislation, the impact of this Act has been insignificant. Ontario developed its own employment …

Native Theological Training Within Canadian Evangelicalism: Three Case Studies, Graham Gibson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis explores the attitudes of EuroCanadian. Protestant evangelical Christians, towards Canada's aboriginal peoples, particularly as they pertain to the training of Native ministerial candidates. In addition to EuroCanadian perspectives, Native voices are included in this examination, specifically, the opinions and attitudes expressed by aboriginal individuals who either have had experience as Native candidates under the tutelage of non-Native teachers and administrators, or who have spent many years observing the effects of such training upon their youth and their churches. Chapter 1, a history of missionization in Canada, is a discussion of the historical context in which theological training institutions …

Four Decades Of Child Welfare Services To Native Indians In Ontario: A Contemporary Attempt To Understand The 'Sixties Scoop' In Historical, Socioeconomic And Political Perspective, Joyce Barbara Timpson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This research seeks to understand the high rates of Indian children in the care of Ontario’s Childrens Aid Societies from the 1950s to the 1970s. It examines historically the interaction of public policy, child welfare services and First Nations’ social, economic and cultural change. The author uses interview data from Native persons, CAS workers and public servants. In addition, government archives and the records of one child protection agency are used as data sources. The research examines in-care rates of Reserve Status Indian children from 1955 to 1976 in Ontario and admissions rates in one agency. It uses financial reports …

The Measurement Of Effective Parenting In Native Communities, Adje Van De Sande

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In Native communities across North America, there are initiatives currently being taken by Native people to develop culturally relevant child welfare programs to deal with the problems of child maltreatment. One example of such a program is Cherish the Children, a training program developed by the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Centre to teach “parenting skills to Indian mothers with young children” (Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center, 1988). It was developed by Anishnabe (Ojibway) people and encourages Anishnabe parents to return to “the old ways” of parenting. The purpose of this study was to develop a culturally-sensitive instrument that would measure …

A Case Study Of Black West Indian Migrants In Urban Canada: The Decision To Migrate, Patrick Richardson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The main purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which traditional models of the migration decision making process adequately account for and describe the decision making process of black West Indian immigrants in Canada. Traditional models of the migration decision making process have suggested that individuals migrate after a rational comparison of place utilities (Wolpert, 1964; Roseman, 1971). These human capital models of migration (De Jong et al, 1981) suggest that individuals, acting in a very rational manner, seek always to maximize their “profits” at an optimum location. However, this study suggests that in the case of …

Black Education In Canada West: A Parochial Solution To A Secular Problem. Rev. M. M. Dillon And The Colonial Church And School Society, Christopher Bruce Elliot

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

African-Americans fled the United States of America during the nineteenth century to escape slavery. The majority of the emigrants took refuge in Upper Canada. Slavery had been abolished by 1834 in all British colonial possessions. Blacks were promised protection from racism by virtue of British institutions. Upper Canada offered the fugitives a chance to begin a new life. Life in Canada West was not to be as joyful as was promised. When Blacks arrived in the British colony they were treated as outsiders, outcast from society. The prejudices of the day flourished throughout the countryside. Racism was manifested in the …

An Exploration Of Native Leadership In One Community, Sylvia L. Kahgee

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study examined leadership structure and processes in one reserve community. Forty Native subjects (21 males and 19 females) volunteered to participate in the study. Their mean age was 33.45 years (S.D. = 16.70 years), and ranged from 16-72 years. Three groups were studied: 1) Formal leaders, who currently held elected positions of chief or councilor. 2) Informal leaders, identified by community members as those people, excluding formal leaders, who help others in the community. 3) Community members presently living on the reserve. The chief and three councilors (all males) were the formal leaders. There were two male and two …