“Two Worlds Together”: Contradiction and Curriculum in First Nations Adult Science Education

• Published in: Anthropology & Education Quarterly
• Main Author: Haig‐Brown, Celia
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1995
• Subjects: First Nations
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/aeq.1995.26.2.05x1251c; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1525%2Faeq.1995.26.2.05x1251c; https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1525/aeq.1995.26.2.05x1251c

Examining the applicability of concepts such as cultural discontinuity, acculturation, and cultural therapy, drawn from existing anthropological literature on the process of education and minorities, this article traces the development and implementation of a postsecondary science curriculum for First Nations adult learners. Selected student and teacher responses to the curriculum, gathered as part of a two‐year ethnographic study, are presented. The article argues that an emergent notion of dialectical contradiction, both in the goals of the curriculum plan and in the lived experiences of the students participating with the curriculum, provides a dimension of analysis beyond unidirectional cultural change. Implications for others working in such areas are considered.