دانلود کتاب Storytelling of Indigenous and Racialized Women in the Academy in Toronto: Implication for Building Counternarrative Learning Spaces

Indigenous and racialized women utilize storytelling as a counter-hegemonic practice; a form of resistance in the academy. This research is centered within a graduate program in Social Science and Humanities, where a high volume of intellectual exchange involves sharing personal, cultural and collective experience. For Indigenous and racialized women, however, personal storytelling renders us vulnerable, especially when the stories become subject matter for research conducted within the dominant culture. However, telling our stories is profound because it helps us develop a sense of self-determination and supports cultural recovery. This project braids anti-colonial, anti-racist, and feminist theoretical frameworks. It depends on concepts developed by Indigenous elders, activists and scholars: Indigeneity, Resistance and Responsibility/Reciprocity. These discursive lenses enable me to situate my arguments about the narrative consumption of Indigenous and racialized female students in the Eurocentric academic setting. Primary data was obtained from face to face interviews as well as a group sharing circle. Two of the participants identified as Indigenous women, seven identified as racialized women, two as queer and all as cis-female. Seven of the participants were graduate students at universities in Toronto, and two of them had already graduated at the time of my interviews in 2014. There are three main findings. First, the act of narration itself enabled us to reclaim our holistic self and resist ongoing historical oppression. Second, the consumption of stories belonging to Indigenous and racialized women by white academics are not isolated experiences. Third, there is a need for mentorship essential to student success. Finding a peer support network among cohort members plays an important role in mitigating daily challenges, however, participants strongly emphasized the importance of institutional support and mentorship from faculty to center the notion of reciprocity. Finally, recommendations focus on the resource development available to Indigenous and racialized women to enhance our experience in the graduate program.