Counter-Mapping in Canadian Educational Contexts: Opportunities for Decolonial and Relational Learning

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 1:30 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Disrupting Colonial Educational Spaces for Remedy and Repair (Table 12)

Abstract

Maps wield immense power in shaping understandings of the world. Historically, maps used in Canadian schools have erased Indigenous communities, histories, and knowledges, while reinforcing colonial ideologies. The growing field of counter-mapping, however, offers transformative potential for healthier Indigenous-Canadian and place-based relations. In the context of two Canadian provinces, this study investigates how maps and processes of mapping are used in K-12 curriculum, and potential openings for counter-mapping practices. By combining decolonial and relational theories, we share findings from a systematic thematic analysis of publicly accessible curriculum documents in conversation with a scoping review of counter-mapping materials in Canada. Through doing, multifaceted opportunities to question hegemonic maps, to encourage relational practices, and to develop transdisciplinary place-based projects are exposed.

Authors

• Jennifer Macdonald, University of Regina

• Jackson Pind, Trent University