The topic of Indigenous identity has become an important issue in Canadian public spaces. Despite efforts to follow a reconciliatory journey with Indigenous peoples and communities, efforts to understand and affirm indigeneity have been curtailed by the complexities of this dynamic topic. Some of the challenges include: the rich diversity of Indigenous nations, the political nature of asserting Indigenous identity, the self-declaration approach that is formally and/or tacitly employed in public spaces such as Universities, as well as the colonial features and mores of public institutions that essentialize non-Indigenous approaches to social discourse.
In this webinar, speakers will discuss their views on Indigenous identity and policy developments, and how it might be explored in respectful, appropriate ways. In doing so, speakers are welcome to discuss their own professional and personal experiences.
This event will assist the Royal Society of Canada in their efforts toward engaging with Indigenous peoples and communities in respectful ways.
Moderator
Audrey Moores is a Professor at McGill University who researches and teaches green and sustainable chemistry. She is also the President of the College of the Royal Society of Canada. She develops syntheses and chemical processes which are more respectful of the environment and our health, including towards the valorization of waste from biomass, using solvent-free techniques.
Speakers
Frank Deer, RSC College, is Professor, Canada Research Chair, and Associate Dean in the Faculty of Education of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Frank is Kanienkeha’ka from Kahnawake, a community that lies just south of Tiotia’ke in the eastern region of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Frank earned a PhD in Educational Administration from the University of Saskatchewan. Frank has previously served as a classroom teacher in Northern Manitoba and in the city of Winnipeg. Frank studies Indigenous education and Indigenous religious and spiritual orientations. Frank is working with the College and the Royal Society of Canada on initiatives associated with Indigenous engagement and inclusive excellence.
Annie Pullen Sansfaçon, RSC College, (member of the Wendat Nation / Wendake) is Professor of Social Work, Canada Research Chair and Deputy Vice-Rector for First People, engagement and participatory methodologies at the Vice Rector Office for Global Engagement and First People at the University of Montreal in Tiohtià:ke /Montreal. She is the cofounder and co-director of CRI-JaDE, the Interdisciplinary Research Center on Intersectional Justice, Decolonization and Equity. Her research program aims at understanding how different structures and contexts affect the wellbeing of gender diverse youth, including two spirit youth and propose methodologies to ethically engage with them in research and in intervention. She is a member of the College of the RSC and a member of the executive committee of National indigenous university Senior Leader Association (NIUSLA).
