Sisters in Spirit: Connections between Canada/UN Politics and Indigenous Studies

There are several themes that emerge when reading the Huffington Post article on Canada’s rejection of a UN call for review of violence against Aboriginal women (mentioned in an earlier blog post) that are related to Indigenous Studies:

• Violence against women
• Systemic discrimination
• International politics
• Canadian politics
• Justice
• Power
• Policy
• Human rights
• Colonialism

Many people have critically examined these themes, particularly tying the systemic discrimination inherent within politics and policies in Canada to Aboriginal people. Anita Olsen Harper and Kristen Gilchrist are two such scholars.

Harper, A. O. (2006). Is Canada peaceful and safe for Aboriginal women? Canadian Woman Studies, 25(1/2), 33-38. Retrieved from http://library.mtroyal.ca:2048/login?url=http://library.mtroyal.ca:2103/docview/217464495?accountid=1343

Anita Olsen Harper (2006) discusses the systemic issues at the federal and provincial level within justice and legislation that have contributed to the overrepresentation of Aboriginal women as victims of sexual violence. Harper points out that there is little action taken by the Canadian government to prevent this violence and little concern evident in the Canadian public, and Canada’s choice to brush aside the UN call for review of this violence fits with this assessment.

Gilchrist, K. (2010). "Newsworthy" victims? Exploring differences in Canadian local press coverage of missing/murdered Aboriginal and White women. Feminist Media Studies, 10(4), 373-390. doi:10.1080/14680777.2010.514110

Kristen Gilchrist examines news articles regarding violence against women, comparing the coverage White women receive to the way Aboriginal women are portrayed in the media when they are victims of sexual assault. Gilchrist notes that the history and the social implications of colonialism play an important role in shaping the media representations of Aboriginal women and the violence done against them.