Confronting the State on the Texas-Mexico border. That's me (August 2009) in front of the gulag-scale wall currently bifurcating southern Lipan Apache Nation and rancheria lands. I'm looking south--to our community lands on the other side, which is North of the U.S.-Mexico border. In other words, inside the U.S. territory. Significant biodiversity habitats were stripped out in order for the 18 foot steel and concrete barrier wall to be constructed on the premise of 'terrorism'. The U.S. built a sizeable percentage of the Texas-Mexico border wall on Indigenous peoples' lands.Dagotee gozhoo! Welcome to Gender & Women's Studies 495/Indigenous Studies 395 Term 1 (2010). This class is located at the University of British Columbia on and within the customary Okanagan places. We are situated in the traditional territory of Nsyilxcen speaking peoples.
I am looking forward to a very special community of learners here, and I aspire to share my research and perspectives about Indigenous decolonization approaches, methods, histories, and on-going processes.
As we approach the new academic year, and our work yet to unfold, and as we move into the Labor Day holiday ('holy day'), I am carrying forward a years'long inquiry into the invisibility of Indigenous Peoples of the Americas in the labor histories of Canada and the U.S. comparative to Mexico. Writing, situating and 'placing' Indigenous Peoples into labor history of the Americas is a critical investigation required in order to make known and material the multiple ways in which colonizations, development, and attendent militarism use, design, and institutionalize gender, 'Native others', heterosexism, and religion as normative in sovereignty debates. On this 'Labour Day', let us interrogate how Indigenous peoples--and particularly Indigenous women, youth and elders--are analyzing these (and many other) tools of oppression. How, when, and where are Indigenous peoples' critiques of privilege and power structures instrumental to transformation? How do Indigenous peoples here in the Okanagan engage the critical keywords of 'water', 'development', 'knowledge systems' and 'sustainability'? What do Indigenous peoples' perspectives of those institutional keywords look like? Writing Indigenous peoples' perspectives and principles from invisibility to visibility is a key component of this course.
Being an Indigenous person, or of Indigenous heritage is not a pre-requisite. Aspiring to be an engaged learner, and dedication to the truth is.
I look forward to this and many more investigations with you.
I'll be seeing you on Thursday, September 9, 2010. Until then, have a safe Labor Day weekend.
I am looking forward to a very special community of learners here, and I aspire to share my research and perspectives about Indigenous decolonization approaches, methods, histories, and on-going processes.
As we approach the new academic year, and our work yet to unfold, and as we move into the Labor Day holiday ('holy day'), I am carrying forward a years'long inquiry into the invisibility of Indigenous Peoples of the Americas in the labor histories of Canada and the U.S. comparative to Mexico. Writing, situating and 'placing' Indigenous Peoples into labor history of the Americas is a critical investigation required in order to make known and material the multiple ways in which colonizations, development, and attendent militarism use, design, and institutionalize gender, 'Native others', heterosexism, and religion as normative in sovereignty debates. On this 'Labour Day', let us interrogate how Indigenous peoples--and particularly Indigenous women, youth and elders--are analyzing these (and many other) tools of oppression. How, when, and where are Indigenous peoples' critiques of privilege and power structures instrumental to transformation? How do Indigenous peoples here in the Okanagan engage the critical keywords of 'water', 'development', 'knowledge systems' and 'sustainability'? What do Indigenous peoples' perspectives of those institutional keywords look like? Writing Indigenous peoples' perspectives and principles from invisibility to visibility is a key component of this course.
Being an Indigenous person, or of Indigenous heritage is not a pre-requisite. Aspiring to be an engaged learner, and dedication to the truth is.
I look forward to this and many more investigations with you.
I'll be seeing you on Thursday, September 9, 2010. Until then, have a safe Labor Day weekend.
