Decolonizing the Empathic Settler Mind: An Autoethnographic Inquiry

Public and scholarly analysis of the troubled relations of Natives and non-Natives (settlers) has been predominantly directed to the former, long-framed as “the Indian Problem.” This dissertation takes the different stance of focusing on the mind-sets of settlers and their society in perpetuating th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Dale, Norman George
Format: Text
Language:unknown
Published: AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive 2014
Subjects:
Autoethnography
Native Americans
Settlers
Settler Colonialism
Decolonization
British Columbia
First Nations
Reconciliation
Native-Non-Native Relations
Canada
Natural Resource Management
Indigenous Studies
Leadership Studies
Race
Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies
Indian
Online Access:https://aura.antioch.edu/etds/154
https://aura.antioch.edu/context/etds/article/1158/viewcontent/Dale_final.pdf
https://aura.antioch.edu/context/etds/article/1158/filename/0/type/additional/viewcontent/Author_Introduction_Norman_Dale_Dissertation.mp4
Description
Summary:Public and scholarly analysis of the troubled relations of Natives and non-Natives (settlers) has been predominantly directed to the former, long-framed as “the Indian Problem.” This dissertation takes the different stance of focusing on the mind-sets of settlers and their society in perpetuating the trans-historical trauma and injustice resulting from foundational acts of dispossession.The approach is autoethnographic:after considering the settler world in which I grew up, critical episodes and developments in my career working with British Columbian First Nations are described and analyzed.This includes working with Kwakwaka’wakw, Haida, Wuikinuxv, Nuxalk and Lheidli T’enneh Nations over a 25-year period.I also look closely at my friendship with a Gitxsan artist, which painfully surfaced our differences and the dangerous colonial practice of settlers’ telling indigenous life stories.Critical themes and learning drawn from this account indicate both some pitfalls and opportunities for empathic settlers to decolonize their minds and actions and thereby contribute to the broader decolonization story of the settler state of Canada.The electronic version of this Dissertation is at Ohiolink ETD Center, http://etd.ohiolink.edu and AURA http://aura.antioch.edu/ A video introduction by the author accompanies this document

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