Indigenous refusals in educational leadership practices in Canadian universities

Abstract

Since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released 94 calls to action in 2015, Canadian universities have responded in numerous ways. A particularly significant response has been the creation of Indigenous Initiatives Offices and the appointment of senior leaders to help lead transformative institutional change efforts. Many of these new administrative appointments report directly to presidents and provosts, and have been taken up by Indigenous women. In this article, I present five key findings from research that explored the experiences of 12 Indigenous women administrators working in Canadian universities. The study highlighted how these Indigenous women enact Indigenous refusals as part of a transformative decolonial leadership praxis in universities.