Critical Reflection: Canadian Colonalization

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Critical Response #1: The Legacy of Canadian Colonialism
A Brief Summary
This article discusses the impact Canadian Colonialism has had on Aboriginal people today. The author speaks largely from a socio-economic perspective, purporting such history has contorted both the social and economic relationship Canada’s Aboriginal people have with the rest of Canada and the dominant cultures therein. The article suggests that Canadians lack a true history, and we are perhaps filled with many biases and prejudices in our understanding of this story. At best, the common Canadian is ignorant in linking Canadian colonialist events to the issues Aboriginal people are bringing forth today. The articles main objective is to inform the reader how historical events, even though they may have happened long ago, have an impact on today’s conditions (Friederes, J.S., & Gadacz pg 1).

The article achieves the above objective by discussing the neglect both the federal and provincial governments have had toward dealing with Aboriginal affairs. The author suggests perhaps the largest issues facing Aboriginals today is the very structure they reside in, the dominant Canadian society, “which prevents them from effectively participating in its social, economic, and political institutions” (p 2). The rest of the article then goes on to discuss various social structure factors such the “institutionalized” understanding of the colonization process and its impacts and limitations, structural racism, a lack of understanding between non-Aboriginals and Aboriginal peoples and the histories of the dominant Euro-Canadian cultures and their relationships with Aboriginal people. What Did I Gain From This Article?

At large, I believe I have a pretty decent understanding of how current realities of our countries Aboriginal people have been completely shaped by the injustices experienced by them over a hundred years ago. Furthermore, I understand that when reading these histories one is to...
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