Abstract
This chapter provides a theoretically based and practical way of initiating cultural healing and global citizenship in (higher) education through creative, expressive, and reflective writing (i.e., writing the self). The Dialogical Self theory sheds light on the way in which particular self-narratives are I-prisons that can be re-storied to create third positions and the democratization of society through the democratization of selves. Two stories, one by an Aboriginal woman and one by a white woman who works with Aboriginal students, illustrate the process and show its potential for reconciliation in the Canadian context. A more general argument is made that cultural healing requires the cultivation of an internal dialogue within educational contexts, something that is hitherto underrepresented in curricula. Finally the work argues that reconciliation on a societal level begins with the questioning and creating of new narratives on an individual level; it is a process to be undertaken by both the “colonized” and the “colonizer.”
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Notes
- 1.
A note on Terminology: Language can be political, complex, and ever changing. Globally, there are many different terms to describe the original inhabitants or “First Peoples” of various countries. The United Nations uses the term “Indigenous peoples.” We have used “Aboriginal” as the all-encompassing adjective for the First Peoples of Canada, but for stylistic variety, we have also used variations of “First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI)” and “Indigenous.” As authors, we have diverse cultural backgrounds but grew up using terms such as “Indian” and “Native,” which may still be used in historic and government documents but have fallen out of general use and are considered outdated by many. For an excellent glossary of appropriate terminology related to Aboriginal Peoples of Canada, please refer to the National Aboriginal Health Organization’s guidelines available at www.naho/publications/topics/terminology. For a broader discussion of the complexities and evolution of appropriate terminology, see Lisa Monchalin’s (2016a) introduction in The Colonial Problem, listed in the References section.
- 2.
Treaty 6 is an agreement signed on August 23, 1876, covering 50 First Nations across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, which made provisions for the right to education and self-determination of First Nations people.
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Lengelle, R., Jardine, C., Bonnar, C. (2018). Writing the Self for Reconciliation and Global Citizenship: The Inner Dialogue and Creative Voices for Cultural Healing. In: Meijers, F., Hermans, H. (eds) The Dialogical Self Theory in Education. Cultural Psychology of Education, vol 5. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62861-5_6
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