ERIC Number: EJ834700
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005-Jun
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0159-6306
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Misrepresentations of Indigenous History and Science: Public Broadcasting, the Internet, and Education
Iseke-Barnes, Judy
Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, v26 n2 p149-165 Jun 2005
This paper examines the role of history in power relations which suppress Indigenous knowledges. History is located as being about power and about how the powerful maintain their power. The paper further examines the Bering Strait theory/myth and ways that discourses in history combine with discourses in science to devalue Indigenous knowledges. The "truth" of science is challenged and examples of manipulation of scientific knowledge are provided, including discussions of a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation made for television production "A people's history" and an Internet website provided by the American government. These production activities supported by the Canadian and American governments are considered educational activities engaged in the practice of cultural representation in which dominant discourses about Indigenous peoples are presented. The paper challenges dominant misrepresentations of discourses about Indigenous peoples in a discussion of educational practices emphasizing the need of Indigenous peoples to control education and cultural representations. The paper concludes that it is a responsibility of society to educate all students to understand that any portrayal of history comes from a particular vantage point and to understand that dominant society privileges some representations and disadvantages others. If we teach in a critical way and challenge dominant discourses we can begin to create a society in which all persons in Canada and the USA, including Indigenous peoples, have a role to play.
Descriptors: Indigenous Knowledge, Indigenous Populations, Educational Practices, Foreign Countries, Internet, Public Television, Power Structure, Role, History, Critical Theory, Teaching Methods, Science Education, Archaeology, Theories
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada; United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A