Call for Contributions
Canadian Settler Colonialism: Reliving the Past, Opening New Paths
Graduate Student Symposium and Open Access Publication
To take place virtually – October 14, 2022
Projects to be submitted by July 31, 2022
The questions. What does contemporary settler colonialism look like in Canada, and what reconciliatory and decolonial strategies exist to resist and counter its effects? What historical processes, what policies have led to the current moment, and how are these processes and policies present today under new guises?
The context. Canada is a long-established settler colonial nation state; and yet very few Canadians understand what this means historically or for present-day reconciliatory and decolonial efforts. we could characterize settler colonial Canada as a nation state structured to exploit, marginalize, and assimilate Indigenous peoples (Green 1995), and to exterminate Indigenous specific populations, resource use, inherent rights, and overall livelihoods (Coulthard 2014). Decolonization is the dismantling of any (imperial or settler) colonial inequities and the resurgence of Indigenous-centred political, legal, and social constructs. Increasingly, critiques of Canada’s decolonial and reconciliatory frameworks demonstrate inadequacies in these attempts. Much of this is because settler colonialism is insidious, difficult to detect and dismantle, and relatively under-studied in Canada. Additionally, reconciliation and decolonization jeopardize the very survival of the settler colonial enterprise, which is premised on the elimination of Indigenous peoples (or, at a minimum, Indigenous difference). This project therefore focuses on responses from Indigenous peoples, racialized minorities, and settlers to understand in order to dismantle the insidious nature of oppression unique to settler colonialism.
The project. This call for contributions aims to collect contributions toward a collective effort to chart how the history of settler colonialism is carried and lived in the present, and what acts of resistance and resurgence are being undertaken to unmake it. Combining academic disciplines and lived experience, its result will be an Open Educational Resource, free of use, made available online to everyone without registration through the University of Regina Open Textbooks program (https://opentextbooks.uregina.ca/).
This collection, focusing primarily on settler colonialism in Canada (with some comparative examples from other western settler states), will be a timely contribution to the fields of Indigenous studies, race studies, Canadian politics, and settler colonial studies. We have structured the wider project around three general perspectives: Indigenous Peoples, Multicultural/Racialized Settlers, and Settlers of European background. While the collection will focus on Canada as a settler state, we acknowledge and will recognize that borders are imposed and porous and that the territories, places, and personal and collective trajectories affected by settler colonialism are not contained in “Canada.”
The call. Potential contributors are asked to provide a proposal, of a maximum of one page, including:
· Name, affiliation(s) (including national affiliation if Indigenous), and contact information;
· Provisional title;
· Outline and overview of what their contribution would be;
· Methodology and genre of writing;
· Short biography and explanation of what makes them the right person to provide this contribution.
We encourage creative responses and, to this end, suggest a word count of 2,500-4,000 words.
However, we are very flexible on length and genre, and entries such as a sequence of poems are also of interest to us. Since this is an online resource, video and sound contributions are also possible. The style can be academic, but it can also be personal, anchored in your own insights, experiences, and community perspectives. The intent ought to be pedagogical, since the resource is meant as a supplementary introduction / textbook for settler colonial studies.
This call is primarily meant for graduate students. Senior undergraduate students as well as non-students with a desire to continue or take up their studies at the graduate level are warmly encouraged to submit.
Languages. We encourage the inclusion of concepts and passages in Indigenous languages, and ask that the English equivalent be included (it will be added as notes). Les propositions en français pourront également être acceptées et publiées, but activities will take place in English.
Funding. Acceptance of the projected contributions will come with a bursary of $500 (Canadian dollars). Depending on the quality of proposals and availability of funds, more contributions may be invited without a bursary.
Expectations. This is a collective project and not simply an individual contribution! Proposals will be selected based on to following criteria:
· Complementarity with other projects toward a cohesive online resource;
· Strong, grounded/localized perspective;
· Engagement with Indigenous scholars’ work as well as, where relevant, central contributions to the literature;
· Engagement with anti-colonial, decolonial, and anti-racist scholarship;
· Diversity of perspectives brought into the symposium and volume by the range of selected participants.
Participants will be expected to:
· Be present, or watch recordings of, four public virtual talks in June 2022 focusing on the experiences of settler colonialism in Treaty Four territory and the broader context of the Prairies;
· Be present, and participate as audience members, in a day of workshops which will take place in Regina on September 24, 2022 – either in person or virtually – and if possible two virtual workshops on September 30 and October 7;
· Present a paper at a virtual Student Symposium on October 14, 2022 (date to be confirmed);
· Prepare their paper for publication in an Open Access Publication by December 1, 2022, and answer editor queries and suggestions for publication to happen in Winter 2023;
· Attend to accessibility in their contribution, with the help of the editors.
The editors. Emily Grafton, a member of the Métis nation, grew up in Treaty 1 and currently lives with her family in Treaty 4. She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (University of Winnipeg), a Master of Public Administration (University of Manitoba), and a PhD in Native Studies (University of Manitoba). As a researcher and educator, her work concerns critical discourse analysis of settler colonialism, gender and feminist theories, and the politics of reconciliation and the state. Emily has held senior positions in politics (provincial, municipal, and Indigenous) and administrative roles with post-secondary institutions. She is currently an Associate Professor of Politics and International Studies, University of Regina.
Jérôme Melançon, a settler of European/French Canadian descent, grew up in great part within the Québécois provincial settler state, lived for over a decade on Treaty 6 territory, and lives with his family in Treaty 4. He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Philosophy from the University of Ottawa and a PhD in political and legal sciences (political philosophy option) from what is now Université Paris Cité. He publishes in the fields of political phenomenology (Merleau-Ponty, Tran Duc Thao); Canadian politics (Francophone communities; settler colonialism, reconciliation and decolonization); and poetry (with three books and two chapbooks so far). He is currently an Associate Professor of French and Francophone Intercultural Studies at La Cité universitaire francophone, and adjunct professor of philosophy, at the University of Regina.
David B MacDonald is a mixed race Indo-Trinidadian and Scottish settler from Treaty 4 territory and a professor of political science at the University of Guelph, ON. He has a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics. He worked previously for the Canadian TRC and is the author of numerous works on Indigenous-Settler relations, ethnic and racial diversity, genocide studies, and foreign policy formulation. His focus is primarily on CANZUS states, namely Canada, Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, and USA. Publications include The Sleeping Giant Awakens: Genocide, Indian Residential Schools, and the Challenge of Conciliation (University of Toronto Press, 2019). His work is funded by a SSHRC Insight Grant: “Complex Sovereignties: Theory and Practice of Indigenous-Self Determination in Settler States and the International System” (430413).
Graduate student assistants will also be hired to be a part of the editorial team.
Dates and Communication
Submissions must be received by July 31, 2022 to be considered. We encourage advance discussion of the topic to verify coherence (although we may be slow to respond).
Please send all queries and submissions to Dr. Jérôme Melançon (jerome.melancon@uregina.ca).
This project has the support of:
Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada (SSHRC) · First Nations University of Canada · Gabriel Dumont Institute · mâmawêyatitân centre · University of Regina Indigenous Advisory Circle · University of Regina (Office of Indigenous Engagement; Reconciliation Action Committee; Faculty of Arts; La Cité universitaire francophone; Community Engagement & Research Centre; Humanities Research Institute; OER Publishing Program; University of Regina Press) · “Nurturing Warriors: Understanding Mental Wellness and Health Risk Behaviours among Young Indigenous Men” research project.
Public virtual talks
The sessions will run virtually from 1:00-2:30 p.m. on the following dates
and will subsequently be available for viewing:
June 7, “The Treaty Relationship,” by Annie Battiste, Treaty Commission of Saskatchewan
June 9, “The Trial, the Treaty, and the Terror: The Battleford Hangings and the Rise of the Settler State,” by Dr. James Daschuk, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Regina
June 13, “A Celebration of Life”, Langan Goforth, Knowledge Keeper, Peepeekisis First Nation
June 14, “Belonging to the land, Connecting to the language: a story of reclaiming what is ours,” by Dr. Melanie Brice, Faculty of Education, University of Regina