Housing issues in Nuuk (Greenland) and how to get students involved
In this essay, we discuss housing policy in Nuuk (Greenland), which is characterised by disparity, undemocratic decision-making, and lack of open, frank discussion. Greenland has a culture of conflict avoidance and reluctance to accept criticism, due to its small population and its cultural traditio...
| Published in: | Études/Inuit/Studies |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Association Inuksiutiit Katimajiit Inc.
2013
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1025260ar https://doi.org/10.7202/1025260ar |
| Summary: | In this essay, we discuss housing policy in Nuuk (Greenland), which is characterised by disparity, undemocratic decision-making, and lack of open, frank discussion. Greenland has a culture of conflict avoidance and reluctance to accept criticism, due to its small population and its cultural traditions. Moreover, the city council’s housing policy has to take both the affluent and the less well-off into consideration. The latter, however, find it harder to influence policy-making. At the Ilinniarfissuaq (Institute for Learning) in Nuuk, we want our future teachers to take part in the development of society and in public debates over social issues. They should in turn be able to teach their students to get involved and to take a stand in debates. But how can we help these future teachers develop a critical view of housing policy without feeling oppressed and powerless? We tried to solve this problem through a technical solution—a GIS program. This program forced our teacher trainees to take a position and express their opinions. Dans cet essai, nous discutons de la politique du logement à Nuuk (Groenland), qui se caractérise par une grande disparité, des prises de décisions non démocratiques et une absence de discussions franches et ouvertes. Il existe au Groenland une culture de l’évitement des conflits et de la réticence à accepter les critiques, qui tient à sa petite population et à ses traditions culturelles. En outre, la politique du logement du conseil municipal doit prendre en considération autant les gens aisés que les plus pauvres. Ces derniers, cependant, trouvent qu’il leur est difficile d’avoir une influence sur les décisions politiques. À l’Institut d’apprentissage Ilinniarfissuaq de Nuuk où nous formons des enseignants, nous voulons que ces derniers prennent part à l’avenir au développement de la société et aux débats publics sur les questions sociales. Ils devraient à leur tour être capables d’inculquer à leurs étudiants la façon de s’impliquer et de prendre parti dans un débat. Mais comment aider ... |
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