First Nations women and health care services : the sociopolitical context of encounters with nurses ...

• Main Author: Browne, Annette Jo
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2009
• Subjects: First Nations
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0091194; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0091194

Health care provided to Canadian Aboriginal peoples continues to unfold against a backdrop of colonial relations. This study explored the sociopolitical and historical context of encounters between nurses and First Nations women. Using an ethnographic design and Dorothy Smith's standpoint perspective as the method of inquiry, interactions between nurses and First Nations women were observed in a northern hospital setting. Subsequently, indepth interviews were conducted with First Nations women, nurses, and three other health professionals (N= 35). Incorporating aspects of postcolonial and feminist theories, this study illustrates how dominant ideologies and professional discourses intersect to organize the knowledge and attitudes that nurses bring to their practice. Three related frames of reference were examined: (a) theories of culture, (b) liberal notions of egalitarianism, and (c) popularized images and discourses of Aboriginality. In the absence of competing frames of reference, embedded assumptions ...