Purposeful Ignorance: A Stumbling Block on the Path to Reconciliation

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: Indigenous People and College Student Activism

Abstract

This article draws upon the findings of a SSHRC funded research project that examined the ways two universities in Ontario were interpreting and taking up the TRC’s Calls to Action. This article focuses on purposeful ignornace and its role as a stumbling block on the path to reconciliation. This research project opened spaces for Indigenous voices and experiences within the university to be heard, respected and validated. Research findings demonstrated that purposeful ignornace was a theme of critical importance. This article concludes by making recommendations for ways universities can better understand and address purposeful ignorance within the reconciliation ‘project’.

Authors

• Dawn Michelle Zinga, Brock University

• Sandra Styres, University of Toronto - OISE