Unsettling Education: Decolonizing and Indigenizing the Land

This edited collection tackles “unsettling” as an emerging field of study that calls for settlers to follow Indigenous leadership and relationality and work toward disrupting the colonial reality through their everyday lives. Bringing together Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars and activists, Unsettling Education considers how we can reconcile and transcend ongoing settler colonialism.

The contributors reflect on how the three concepts of unsettling, Indigenization, and decolonization overlap and intersect in practical and theoretical ways. Questions are raised such as how can we recognize and address historical and current injustices that have been imposed upon Indigenous Peoples and their lands? How can we respect the fundamental and inherent sovereignty and rights of Indigenous Peoples as we work toward reconciliation? And how do we work collectively to build more equitable and just communities for all who call Canada home?

Unsettling Education is well suited for college and university courses in Indigenous studies or education that focus on decolonization, land-based learning, Indigenization, unsettling, and reconciliation.

Bringing together Indigenous and settler scholars and activists, Unsettling Education considers how educators can reconcile and transcend ongoing settler colonialism. This edited collection examines unsettling as an emerging field of study that calls for disrupting the colonial reality through actions in our everyday lives. Reflecting on how the concepts of Indigenization, unsettling, and decolonization overlap and intersect in practical and theoretical ways, the contributors emphasize how collective work can confront historical and contemporary dispossession and help build more equitable communities for all.

A foundational guide for engaging with truth and reconciliation, this volume centres Indigenous knowledges and highlights writings by Indigenous scholars from a diverse range of communities, whose insights can translate to new dialogues and structural frameworks. The reader is asked to focus on personal awareness and transformation by unpacking identity, reflecting upon privilege and baggage, and subverting the colonial underpinnings found in daily life. Pedagogically rich with critical thinking questions, key terms, and further readings, this text is an ideal resource for anyone looking to engage with decolonizing, Indigenizing, and unsettling practices in the classroom.