Inter-institutional panel affirms commitment to Indigenization and decolonization

trevor.kenney — Fri, 10 May 2024 20:40:27 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge faculty and former students, along with City of Lethbridge and Galt Museum staff, recently presented a panel at the Thinking with and Alongside Critical Indigenous Scholarship Conference at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Oxford. Organized by The Oxford Research Centre on the Humanities (TORCH) and its Critical Indigenous Studies Network, the conference sought to engage Indigenous epistemological and ontological perspectives and the contributions of Indigenous knowledge systems in diverse contexts.

The panel consisted of (top, left to right) Tara Million, Andrea Cuellar, Michelle Hogue, Patrick Wilson, and (bottom, left to right) Ross Kilgour, Camina Weasel Moccasin, Perry Stein.

The panel, Indigenization and Intercultural Collaboration in Municipal and Postsecondary Contexts, was convened by Dr. Patrick Wilson (Modern Languages and Linguistics and Prentice Institute Research Affiliate) and included contributions from Camina Weasel Moccasin (Curator Galt Museum), Perry Stein (Prentice Institute Research Affiliate, BA ’09), Ross Kilgour (City of Lethbridge Senior Community Planner and Prentice Institute Research Affiliate), Tara Million (Indigenous Studies and Prentice Institute Research Affiliate), Dr. Michelle Hogue (Indigenous Studies and Prentice Institute Research Affiliate), and Dr. Andrea Cuéllar (Anthropology and Associate Director of the Prentice Institute).

The panel was organized as a Talking Circle, following Indigenous protocols and ways of sharing knowledge, and consisted of conversations among panelists around four major themes — the TRC Calls to Action in institutional contexts, intercultural collaboration and cross-cultural learning, multiple constructions of Indigeneity and Indigenous identities, and decolonization and Indigenization — as they relate to their work in the City of Lethbridge, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and the Galt Museum and Archives.

These themes are connected to the ongoing commitment of each panelist to the work of reconciliation, and participation in this conference allowed them to see the relevance of this work in Lethbridge as well as a broader context.

“Reconciliation is not the job of one person, one department, one institution, one community, or even one People; it is an ongoing, collective responsibility,” says Stein. “Participating in this conference allowed us to share the impact of collective action between and across the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, City of Lethbridge and Galt Museum & Archives to advance not only conversations about truth and reconciliation, but concrete action and partnerships.”

Presenting this work at a conference hosted at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Oxford provided a unique opportunity to have discussions around reconciliation and decolonization at a place and institution with deep historical roots to colonization and its legacies and contributed to an ongoing conversation for the need to decolonize academic scholarship.

“Presenting this work in the form of a Talking Circle, where we addressed challenging topics with the audience seated in a circle around us bearing witness to our practice, allowed us to deconstruct conventional forms of conference presentations and offer a different model of disseminating knowledge, rooted in Indigenous ways of knowledge transmission,” says Hogue.

The conference also offered the opportunity for Camina Weasel Moccasin, in her role as Indigenous Curator at the Galt Museum and accompanied by other panelists, to initiate conversations with curators at the British Museum in London and the Pitt-Rivers Museum at Oxford around repatriation and rematriation of Blackfoot items of cultural significance held in those museums’ collections.

“The experience was very overwhelming, but also very enriching. I am grateful I had the opportunity to create new, and positive, relationships with museum staff while there,” shares Camina.

Cuéllar summarized the value of the conference and related activities.

“Participation in this conference allowed us to articulate and share the significance of years of interconnected and collaborative work on Indigenization and decolonization, to assess accomplishments and gaps, and to affirm our commitment to continuing this work.

“The museum visits and conversations with curators were very revealing, they prompted us to think about the need of a transnational reconciliation framework, of which repatriation programs could be a piece.”

The next steps for this collaborative work are to initiate a book project and present the panel at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge during the Fall 2024 semester.

Participation in the conference was made possible by financial support from the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, and two ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge SSHRC Exchange grants (awarded to Wilson and Cuéllar).

U of L moves up research ranking list

trevor.kenney — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:33:24 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has moved up three places in a national ranking of Canada's Top 50 research universities.

With a 22 per cent increase in funding, well ahead of the national average of six per cent, the U of L's gain demonstrates the institution's strength in key research areas, according to Vice-President, Research, Dr. Dan Weeks.

The results were recently released by Research Infosource Inc. and based on Statistics Canada data and the Research Infosource Canadian ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ R&D database.

"During the reporting period (2007 to 2008), our research funding increased from $13 million to more than $16 million, and moved us up from 38th to 35th place, in the middle range of the top 50 group," Weeks said.

"Our researchers should be extremely proud of this accomplishment – it is proof that the U of L is successfully moving forward in many directions. As part of a strategic plan to increase our research presence and become a comprehensive research university, we were able to recruit people with innovative projects and resources to add to an already-successful group of faculty members."

Ron Freedman, CEO of Research Infosource, said that against the backdrop of a weakening economy, a six per cent national rise in overall research income growth came as a relief.

"With government sources accounting for about 70 per cent of all university research income, stable support from the public sector – the federal government in particular – is vital. Contrary to some recent statements, the public sector has obviously made a decision not to cut research support in an effort to protect and stabilize the post-secondary system."

Weeks added that, across the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, faculty are initiating many new projects which will enhance the U of L's ability to retain, and increase, its research presence nationally and internationally.

"Even in a tough economy, we are seeing great success in our research programs. I am pleased that we were among the top 15 universities to record significant percentages of overall research growth," Weeks said, adding that there are many more opportunities to broaden the
U of L's research portfolio.

"Recently, we received more than $7 million in federal and provincial funds to support our multi-disciplinary epigenetics research program. I am particularly excited about the opportunity for greater national leadership in social sciences research with Dr. Susan McDaniel now heading up the Prentice Institute for Global Population and the Economy. As well, Dr. David Naylor in our Physics and Astronomy department has a number of high profile projects planned, plus there are a host of other opportunities in biomedical science, neuroscience and imaging."

UNews - Prentice Institute for Global Population and the Economy

Inter-institutional panel affirms commitment to Indigenization and decolonization

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U of L moves up research ranking list

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