Data Colonialism in Canada: Decolonizing Data Through Indigenous data governance

• Main Author: Leone, Donald Zachary
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Canada; First Nations; inuit
• Online Access: https://curve.carleton.ca/6b4b4195-4253-473a-a46a-3691f9fcdd25; https://doi.org/10.22215/etd/2021-14697; https://ocul-crl.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01OCUL_CRL/j2o5om/alma991022929630905153

The current states of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis data are not distinctive of the current moment but are linked to the historical operation of the colonial enterprise to denigrate and marginalize Indigenous peoples and knowledge through data colonialism. There is an international movement emerging that calls for Indigenous data governance (IDG) to resist and reconcile these colonial histories. In this context, this thesis is a study of how Indigenous data were constructed as colonial objects in Canada and what it means to decolonize these data and the practices which produce and govern them. It is argued that IDG provides the foundation for data decolonization in Canada, however this is fledgling work emerging at a critical juncture where there are ever-changing technological innovations, complex social issues, and legacies of colonial governance arrangements. This is important to consider as First Nations, Inuit, and Métis continue to assert sovereignty over their data.