ENVS 4215: Globalization and Indigenous peoples
The experiences of Indigenous peoples have much to teach us about the phenomenon of globalization. The contemporary global system was created largely in the age of imperialism using notions of humanity, economy and modernity that were articulated in contrast to Indigenous values and assumptions. Assumptions about Indigenous barbarism, indolence and backwardness were used to justify the colonizing ambitions of the European diaspora and these endure in contemporary practices, institutions and imperatives. In this class, we will consider a range of issues that place globalization in a new light. These include ongoing struggles over lands and resources, as well as newer threats posed by genetic research and biopiracy. Issues of representation, ideology and knowledge will be discussed in terms of their roles in eroding Indigenous autonomy and rationalizing colonial policies. We will examine the value of international governing institutions for protecting and promoting Indigenous concerns. An abiding theme is the resurgence of long-standing Indigenous political traditions and Indigenous peoples’ rise as global political actors, and we will examine whether and how non-indigenous scholars have tried to respond to these mobilizations and intellectual challenges.
This course now runs as part of the Faculty of Environmental Studies' Las Nubes program. It is a Summer term field course that takes place over 20 days in Costa Rica and includes several days living with the Boruca people.
ENVS 6153: Native-Canadian relations
The purpose of this course is to explore relations between Native (also called Aboriginal, Indigenous, First Nations…) and settler (or Canadian, mainstream, dominant, white, European…) peoples. This exploration will encompass relations in multiple dimensions, including the social, political, economic and cultural and legal realms in which two putative groups encounter each other across the divides created and maintained by the process of colonialism. Students will use a range of materials, mostly but not solely written texts, in order to share some sense of the types of relations that have existed, exist today and may be emerging. The course includes considerable material about native/settler relations in Canada but other materials and examples will be used and discussions and student work will not be limited to this context. A main objective is to consider what relations between peoples are or might be. Indeed, a fundamental goal is to familiarize ourselves with and engage with the challenges in identifying and understanding ideal types of inter-communal and inter-personal “postcolonial” relations and how we might recognize or promote them.
This is a graduate seminar held in Fall term.
