"People Should See Themselves Reflected": Recognizing Contestation Around Representations of Indigeneity in Artwork on University Campuses

• In Event: 81.010 - Cross-Cutting Session 4. Beyond the Schoolhouse Door: Expanding the Physical Boundaries of Education

Abstract

Drawing on data from a larger SSHRC funded research project addressing Indigeneity in academia at two universities in Southern Ontario, this paper examines how artwork, as a site of contestation, depicts representations of Indigeneity in ways that reinforce violent colonial narratives and negative stereotypes. This minimizes, triggers and/or provokes Indigenous students and faculty in ways that remain either partially or completely hidden from Non-Indigenous educators and learners. Universities have the responsibility to recognize contestation and purposefully create ethical spaces for non-Indigenous educators and learners to mindfully engage in. Drawing on examples from other institutions, this paper proposes ways for universities to engage in art as provocation and enhance how educators and learners on campus learn about our shared histories.

Authors

• Velta Douglas, University of Toronto

• Fiona Purton, OISE/University of Toronto

• Dawn Michelle Zinga, Brock University

• Sandra Styres, University of Toronto - OISE