Racial Discrimination Experienced by Aboriginals in Canadian Universities

Racial Discrimination Experienced by Aboriginals: A Case Study of Aboriginal University Students in Canadian Universities
Author
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Instructor
Due Date
Research Topic: Racial Discrimination Experienced by Aboriginals: A Case Study of Aboriginal University Students in Canadian Universities
Academic institutions such as universities claim to be representing and support the ideals of inclusion, personal growth and lifelong learning. It is through these principles that post-secondary institutions are considered to be open and welcoming. Despite this wide publication, this perception needs to be more accurate. Experiences of Aboriginal students in Canadian universities highlight the various areas where injustice and inequality are manifested in Canadian society. Even though post-secondary institutions offer learning environments, they are linked to the world and the various political and social issues facing Canadian society. Studies have demonstrated longtime struggles regarding resources, identity and power for people in university environments. Therefore, Aboriginal students face these challenges when they enter university as they would if they entered other social and political domains of society.
Introduction & Research Justification
Studies have demonstrated that indigenous people worldwide experience high racial discrimination across various aspects of life. Society considers racial discrimination to be any restriction, exclusion, or treatment based on ethnic origin, race, or color to limit certain human rights or freedom in public domains. Racial discrimination has many consequences beyond psychological effects, including health and social issues across various disciplines (Krieger, 2016). The overall impact of discrimination on health and psychological challenges plays a significant role in the burden of social inequities experienced by Indigenous people across the world.
In Canada, the issue of discrimination against Aboriginals has gained momentum over the past few years. In modern Canadian history, most Aboriginals face various hardships and discrimination not only from the federal government but also from non-Aboriginals within the borders. The majority of them have a false belief that modern Canada is free of prejudice against the Aboriginals (Azam, 2020). The population of Aboriginals is increasing and urbanizing at a high rate, which has increased the contact between non-Aboriginals and Aboriginals (Lecture). Ontario is one of the largest cities in Canada and has a significant population of Aboriginal people. This scenario implies a significant contact between the Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals. Since education is one sector where Aboriginal discrimination is evident, experts chose university students, considering the need to increase the number of Aboriginals who complete post-secondary education. Although Aboriginal enrolment in post-secondary institutions is increasing, their retention is a significant concern. Racial discrimination is a social determinant relevant to Aboriginal university students since they live in urban areas. Therefore, more profound insights into the extent to which Aboriginal students experience racial discrimination will play a significant role in informing policies and programs to strengthen their retention.
Literature Review
The question, “what is the nature and extent of discrimination against the Aboriginals in Canada” has been the focus of various studies. Early studies on the interaction between Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals reported that discrimination was a primary concern. For instance, studies conducted in 1971 and 1975 in two major cities, Ontario and Edmonton, demonstrated that society highly segregated Aboriginal people (Indian Association of Alberta, 1971; Stymiest, 1975). This segregation was prevalent in employment, housing and restaurants. People drew clear boundaries between the Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals, and any interaction between them was negatively stereotyped.
Anaya’s Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the Situation of Indigenous People in Canada [Article] published in 2015 discovered that despite the various initiatives to address problems facing Aboriginal people, the results are still worrying. For instance, in education, Aboriginal people tend to lag behind every level of education. This behaviour has been attributed to systematic racism in Canadian Society. Housing is in a crisis, especially for First Nation and Inuit communities, especially from the north. It has been established that most Aboriginals live in houses requiring significant repairs such as electrical and plumbing. The report further explains that the health and well-being of the Aboriginals are a considerable concern. Although their overall health has improved over the recent past, there are significant gaps in health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
McCaskill’s study Discrimination and Public Perceptions of Aboriginal People in Canadian Cities in 2012, reported that the concern of discrimination against Aboriginal people in Canada is exceedingly complex, and addressing it is very challenging. The study asserts that the continued discrimination against Indigenous people implies that their lives are restricted, and their abilities to achieve economic and social success are diminished. Being categorized as a member of a particular group based on origin or negative stereotypes enhance victimization or bullying in various activities, such as being followed when in specific spaces, racial profiling and being denied housing and employment. This behaviour indicates that the world cannot take the everyday activities of Aboriginal people lightly because they can have adverse consequences on their identities and self-esteem. The study further highlighted that Aboriginals attribute the discrimination they receive to problems such as poverty, criminal activities, homelessness and substance abuse experienced by the Indigenous population. Moreover, the Media’s focus on issues facing Aboriginal people contributes to the negative stereotypes that Indigenous people face.
Research Questions
This study focuses on the experiences of Aboriginal students in Canadian universities, especially in Ontario. The main research question is: What is the nature and extent of racial discrimination against Aboriginal students in Canadian Universities, and how does it vary among the social intersects such as gender? The following sub-questions will guide the study:
* What impact do the experiences have on Aboriginal students?
* When faced with racial discrimination, what strategies do Aboriginal students utilize?
Methodology and Research Methods
The methodological approaches I choose to explore the above-raised questions include in-depth interviews, demographic surveys and observation. Demographic surveys and in-depth interviews will be the primary data sources for this study. The demographic surveys will help determine whether the respondents are Aboriginals so they can be included in the study. The in-depth interviews will enable collect information about the respondents' experiences of discrimination. The Experiences of Discrimination Scale tool will guide the interviews. This tool has been used to measure self-reported racial discrimination across various ethnic groups. In their study, Currie et al. (2020) suggest that since Aboriginal Canadians are reported to be experiencing high levels of racial discrimination, it is vital to adjust the tool to measure the experiences in the last 12 months to enhance variability. Some questions will ask the Aboriginal Canadians whether they have experienced discrimination in the past 12 months. The questions will also ask whether they have been barred from doing something or made inferior in any space because of their origins. To supplement the data collected through my proposed approach, I will spend time exploring the chosen universities and attending events related to Aboriginal students. In addition, I will visit various spaces such as academic offices, official gatherings and lounges specific to Aboriginal students. The objective of these visitations and explorations is to experience the environments and observe how the Aboriginal students are represented. Consequently, this will help determine the nature and manifestation of what is occurring, how it affects the students, and how they respond.
Sampling
Bailey, K. A. (2020). Racism within the Canadian university: indigenous students' experiences (Doctoral disse...