Decolonizing Education: Nourishing the Learning Spirit

by Marie Battiste

Drawing on treaties, international law, the work of other Indigenous scholars, and especially personal experiences, Marie Battiste documents the nature of Eurocentric models of education, and their devastating impacts on Indigenous knowledge. Chronicling the negative consequences of forced assimilation and the failure of current educational policies to bolster the social and economic conditions of Aboriginal populations, Battiste proposes a new model of education. She argues that the preservation of Aboriginal knowledge is an Aboriginal right and a right preserved by the many treaties with First Nations.

Current educational policies must undergo substantive reform. Central to this process is the rejection of the racism inherent to colonial systems of education, and the repositioning of Indigenous humanities, sciences, and languages as vital fields of knowledge.

Battiste suggests the urgency for this reform lies in the social, technological, and economic challenges facing society today, and the need for a revitalized knowledge system which incorporates both Indigenous and Eurocentric thinking. The new model she advocates is based on her experiences growing up in a Mi'kmaw community, and the decades she has spent as a teacher, activist, and university scholar.

Genres: Education, Indigenous, Nonfiction, Teaching, Professional Development, Research

217 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Dr. Marie Battiste is a Mi’kmaq from Unama’kik (Cape Breton, Nova Scotia), and a graduate of Harvard and Stanford. She is a professor in the Department of Educational Foundations, and Academic Director or the Aboriginal Education Research Centre, both at the University of Saskatchewan, and a United Nations technical expert on the guidelines for protecting Indigenous heritage. She is the editor of several books including First Nations Education in Canada and Reclaiming Indigenous Voice and Vision, as well as numerous academic publications.

Reviews

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is text book like, so not an easy read. I give it 4 stars for the information and the thinking it brought out. Writing style and flip in reading; more of a 3 stars. I did a book club with it where we met every few chapters, making it easier to process. As an educator, I think that this book is a must read for all educators in Canada. There is so much to learn and to unpack in this book.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for anyone hoping to transform or Indigenization their teaching practice. Theoretically strong, research based, and offers some practical and actionable advice to dismantle our Eurocentric education system.

Not necessarily an easy read but a necessary read.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much good stuff, but even the part that she says is practical/applicable, is still overwhelmingly theoretical.

[Bradley West · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first discovered Marie Battiste' work, during my time at Red River College, where I was the Diversity Initiatives Coordinator - my portfolios were Intercultural Awareness and the LGBTT* Initiative - working closely with the School of Indigenous Education, one of my goals was to increase awareness of First Nations Culture for our staff, students and faculty.

Marie is one of many academics who are working to reshape the experiences of education to allow room for the various ways of knowing that come to us, from Indigenous voices and communities. Her work helps to connect the Western views of rigor and to braid those into indigenous knowledge, knowledge keepers, while allowing us to become a safer, more inclusive and responsive learning environment for all our students, not just some of them.

I would consider this an essential text for anyone who is involved in education, and wants to create a more responsive, student centered experience.

[Sofie Novak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this book for one of my university classes. It is very content dense and reads like a textbook, therefore making it ideal for a university class and not reading for pleasure or curiosity. This book did teach me a lot.

[Kate Mixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening and interesting, offering new and different perspectives and important content about the realities of being an Indigenous person struggling with the colonization of our society. Highly recommend - especially to educators.

[Sam Sawazki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a lot of fascinating points, but unfortunately they were high level theory rather than the practical advice I was hoping for. Clearly that’s the scope of this book, so it was more of a misunderstanding on my part. That being said, this is written in a very dry, academic way, and some of the important topics are lost in the style.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book that offers insight into the many ways that colonization has determined the course of our education system. Battiste offers proven and viable solutions to recognize, reconcile, and reform education.

[Diane Dewing · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book should be on every teacher's bookshelf. While it is often repetitive, the teachings and reflections are important. Tis is an excellent beginning to any teacher's journey on the road to Truth and Reconciliation.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely an interesting read. It is always so important to read another's point of view. It gave me a lot to think about.

[Melvin]

Read the introduction and skimmed parts of the remaining chapters

[Jordynn Rehel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting to see the differences in Indigenous education over a 20 year span, definitely a good one for educators to get into

[Amanda Chiu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very academic so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it unless it’s for research or scholarship. However I really appreciated the perspective of the author and the theory itself is interesting and does a great job at interrogating normative educational practices. Definitely a good read for anyone working in education.

[Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional read on Aboriginal Education.