Dismantling Narratives: Settler Ignorance, Indigenous Literature and the Development of a Decolonizing Discourse

Abstract

In an article for the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, Taiaiake Alfred argues that “[t]he complete ignorance of Canadian society about the facts of their relationship with Indigenous peoples and the willful denial of historical reality by Canadians detracts from the possibility of any meaningful discussion on true reconciliation” (2009: 181). Alfred goes on: “[r]eal change will happen only when settlers are forced into a reckoning of who they are, what they have done, and what they have inherited” (184). Despite years of work by Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the reckoning Alfred speaks of seems a long way off. The majority of Canadians remain ignorant of the history of their country, and removed from colonialism’s current manifestations and long-term implications. Some scholars consider the failure to engage in decolonization an act of denial—a choice on the part of beneficiaries who are unwilling to go through the uncomfortable process of decolonization. Others acknowledge the role of widespread ignorance, noting that few Canadians are educated about the history of colonization. Despite theorizing both ignorance and denial, scholars have not explored the connection between the two; as a result, ignorance and denial are often conflated in discussions of Canadian settler culture. In an attempt to better understand the relationship between settler ignorance and denial, this paper will explore the ways that knowledge conditioned by colonial frameworks can prevent settler Canadians from engaging in acts of decolonization. I will analyze two Ontario Ministry of Education-approved secondary-school history books in relation to a study conducted at Queen’s University in 2010 to argue that the Ontario education system strengthens settler ignorance and privileges colonial ideals. I will then analyze Thomas King’s short story “Borders” (1993) from an assimilationist perspective in order to highlight how settler ignorance can lead to a denial of colonialism and a perpetuation of colonial ideals, even in the face of decolonizing narratives.