What images, words or ideas struck you the most in the course readings / viewings this week (Atleo, Kimmerer, Simpson) and what is significant to you about those in the context of your own life, the communities and/or the society in which you live?
What are some of the features, stories, beliefs and/or values of the worldviews you hold? How are they similar or different to the ones in which you were raised? How do they relate to and/or diverge from Indigenous or Indigenist worldviews, as elaborated in the readings and in Monday’s class?
What does Robin Kimmerer mean when she refers to herself as a “gift thinker”?
This week we will explore how the major institutions of our society came into being alongside and through the development of colonialism. We’ll see how the capitalist economy, the modern state, and the international balance of power are all products of colonialism.
Together, we’ll reflect on what it means for us to live in an international order that is built on a foundation of land theft, slavery, coercion, and genocide, and how this shapes our lives today.
Have you learned much about colonialism before? Why or why not? How do this week’s materials relate to what you’ve learned previously? How does it make you feel delving into all of this? What parts make you feel uncomfortable? What parts make you feel excited?