The Academy as a Settler Nexus: A Global Analysis of Indigenous Experiences in Higher Education

• In Event: Imagining Futures: Themes of Decolonization, Empowerment, and Mentorship within Indigenous Contexts in Education

Abstract

This literature review explores how settler colonialism globally shapes Indigenous student experiences in higher education and how Indigenous communities resist and reclaim these spaces through decolonial practice. Drawing on case studies from Japan, Canada, New Zealand, the U.S., the Nordic countries, and Latin America, it identifies three key themes: higher education as a global vehicle of settler colonialism, its material and cultural impact on Indigenous lives, and Indigenous-led efforts to transform institutions. A central aim of this review is to challenge the assumption that settler colonialism is uniquely Western. By exposing its global reach and interconnected logics, this work argues that decolonization must begin with recognizing settler colonialism as a transnational nexus rather than a regional or isolated phenomenon.

Author

• Levon Ghanimian, Claremont Graduate University