Troubling National Discourses in Anti-Racist Curricular Planning

Abstract

The narrative of the Canadian prairie context is invested in intercultural relations that privilege whiteness and marginalize Aboriginal people and other racial minorities. We maintain that anti‐oppressive curriculum on the Canadian prairies must examine how racial identifications are constructed through commonplace national discourses. A curriculum that is anti‐oppressive needs to examine the production of racial identifications, including the construction of whiteness in a Canadian context, where racism often exists in denial. Without a critical race analysis, the “celebration of diversity” and other popular narratives have every possibility of reinforcing relations of domination. Key words: anti‐oppressive education, Aboriginal education, critical whiteness studies Les textes au sujet des Prairies canadiennes font surtout etat de relations interculturelles qui privilegient les Blancs et marginalisent les peuples autochtones et les autres minorites ethnoculturelles. Selon les auteures, il faut analyser le mode de construction des identites ethnoculturelles a travers les discours nationaux tres repandus. Un programme scolaire qui se veut antioppressif doit tenir compte du processus de production identitaire, notamment chez les eurocanadiens ou le racisme existe souvent, meme s’il est nie. Sans une analyse critique portant sur l’identite ethnoculturelle, la promotion de la diversite et les autres discours populaires risquent fort de renforcer les relations de domination. Mots cles : education antioppressive, education dispensee aux autochtones, etudes critiques sur les eurocanadiens.