Decolonizing Education: Nourishing the Learning Spirit

TLDR

Mainstream education often fails to reflect Indigenous perspectives, creating a paradox where Aboriginal students seek liberation yet face curricula that do not mirror them, leading to a fragmented existence. The study seeks to pursue a decolonizing path in the author’s doctoral program, nourishing their learning spirit. The author reports experiencing a fragmented existence and tensions throughout their education, reflecting the broader challenges Indigenous learners face.

Abstract

As an emerging Indigenous scholar completing a mainstream doctoral program, I was immediately drawn to the work of Marie Battiste. Her work inspires my commitment to approach my degree as a decolonizing journey that nourishes my own learning spirit. Battiste (1998) captures the paradox of mainstream education as it is experienced by Aboriginal students. As she pointed out while Aboriginal students are looking to liberate themselves and their communities through education, they are faced with a strenuous curriculum that does not “mirror” them. As a result, students experience a “fragmented existence” (p. 24). This has indeed been my experience. Her recent book, Decolonizing Education: Nourishing the Learning Spirit expresses the tensions Indigenous learners face in all levels of mainstream education. These are the very tensions I personally experienced throughout the entirety of my educational experience as I have attempted to secure my own space and sense of place as a student and now aspiring professor.