Theories and Disciplines as Sites of Struggle: The Reproduction of Colonial Dominance Through the Controlling of Knowledge in the Academy

Abstract

This article describes aspects of Indigenous knoioledge and research that contrastwith university-based approaches to knowledge. Indigenous scholars have assertedthe sacred local nature of traditional understandings that place Elders and stories asthe centerpiece of learning. Rather than asking Aboriginal students to adapt to uni­versity culture, universities should understand First Nations values about localecological knowledge and sustainable living as a mode by which to revitalize theirown institutional environments. Examining the cultural bias in commonplaceacademic terms such as theory, scientific, and research, this article shows the epis­temological tensions First Nations graduate students feel as they make their waythrough the terrain of the academy. At the same time, the presence of First Nationsfaculty and students is transforming the university environment while questioningthe goals and processes of learning.