The Sociological Effects of Residential Schools

970 Words2 Pages

During the 19th century the Canadian government established residential schools under the claim that Aboriginal culture is hindering them from becoming functional members of society. It was stated that the children will have a better chance of success once they have been Christianised and assimilated into the mainstream Canadian culture. (CBC, 2014) In the film Education as We See It, some Aboriginals were interviewed about their own experiences in residential schools. When examining the general topic of the film, conflict theory is the best paradigm that will assist in understanding the social implications of residential schools. The film can also be illustrated by many sociological concepts such as agents of socialization, class inequality, and language as a cultural realm. According to conservative conflict theory, society is a struggle for dominance among competing social groups defined by class, race, and gender. Conflict occurs when groups compete over power and resources. (Tepperman, Albanese & Curtis 2012. pg. 167) The dominant group will exploit the minority by creating rules for success in their society, while denying the minority opportunities for such success, thereby ensuring that they continue to monopolize power and privilege. (Crossman.n.d) This paradigm was well presented throughout the film. The European settlers in Canada viewed the natives as obstacles in their quest of expansion by conquering resources and land. They feared that the aboriginal practices and beliefs will disrupt the cohesion of their own society. The Canadian government adopted the method of residential schools for aboriginal children for in an attempt to assimilate the future generations. The children were stripped of their native culture,... ... middle of paper ... ...d Assembly of First Nations (2010, July). First Nations Control of First Nations Education. Retrieved from http://www.afn.ca/uploads/files/education/3._2010_july_afn_first_nations_control_of_first_nations_education_final_eng.pdf CBC (2014). A history of residential schools in Canada - Canada - CBC News. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/a-history-of-residential-schools-in-canada-1.702280 Curtis, J. E., Tepperman, L., & Albanese, P. (2012). Sociology: A Canadian perspective(3rd ed.). Don Mills, Ont: Oxford University Press. Indigenous Foundations (n.d.). The Residential School System. Retrieved from http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/home/government-policy/the-residential-school-system.html Bob, Geraldine and Gary Marcus. (Directors). 1993. Education As We See It. in First Nations: The Circle Unbroken- Disk 4 [Film]. National Film Board of Canada.

Show More
Related

  • The Impacts of the Sixties Scoop on First Nations People

    1683 Words  | 4 Pages

    Steckley, J., & Cummins, B. D. (2008). Full circle: Canada's First Nations (2nd ed.). Toronto:

    Read More

  • Aboriginal

    1291 Words  | 3 Pages

    The over-representation of Aboriginal children in the Canadian Child Welfare system is a growing and multifaceted issue rooted in a pervasive history of racism and colonization in Canada. Residential schools were established with the intent to force assimilation of Aboriginal people in Canada into European-Canadian society (Reimer, 2010, p. 22). Many Aboriginal children’s lives have been changed adversely by the development of residential schools, even for those who did not attend them. It is estimated that Aboriginal children “are 6-8 times more likely to be placed in foster care than non-Aboriginal children (Saskatchewan Child Welfare Review Panel, 2010, p. 2).” Reports have also indicated that First Nations registered Indian children make up the largest proportion of Aboriginal children entering child welfare care across Canada (Saskatchewan Child Welfare Review Panel, p. 2). Consequently, this has negatively impacted Aboriginal communities experience of and relationship with child welfare services across the country. It is visible that the over-representation of Aboriginal children in the child welfare system in Canada lies in the impact of the Canadian policy for Indian residential schools, which will be described throughout this paper.

    Read More

  • Assimilation In Canada

    533 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Indian Residential schools and the assimilating of First Nations people are more than a dark spot in Canada’s history. It was a time of racist leaders, bigoted white men who saw no point in working towards a lasting relationship with ingenious people. Recognition of these past mistakes, denunciation, and prevention steps must be taking intensively. They must be held to the same standard that we hold our current government to today. Without that standard, there is no moving forward. There is no bright future for Canada if we allow these injustices to be swept aside, leaving room for similar mistakes to be made again. We must apply our standards whatever century it was, is, or will be to rebuild trust between peoples, to never allow the abuse to be repeated, and to become the great nation we dream ourselves to be,

    Read More

  • How The Aboriginal Assimilation

    1366 Words  | 3 Pages

    “To kill the Indian in the child,” was the prime objective of residential schools (“About the Commission”). With the establishment of residential schools in the 1880s, attending these educational facilities used to be an option (Miller, “Residential Schools”). However, it was not until the government’s time consuming attempts of annihilating the Aboriginal Canadians that, in 1920, residential schools became the new solution to the “Indian problem.” (PMC) From 1920 to 1996, around one hundred fifty thousand Aboriginal Canadians were forcibly removed from their homes to attend residential schools (CBC News). Aboriginal children were isolated from their parents and their communities to rid them of any cultural influence (Miller, “Residential Schools”). Parents who refrained from sending their children to these educational facilities faced the consequence of being arrested (Miller, “Residential Schools”). Upon the Aboriginal children’s arrival into the residential schools, they were stripped of their culture in the government’s attempt to assimilate these children into the predominately white religion, Christianity, and to transition them into the moderating society (Miller, “Residential Schools”). With the closing of residential schools in 1996, these educational facilities left Aboriginal Canadians with lasting negative intergenerational impacts (Miller, “Residential Schools”). The Aboriginals lost their identity, are affected economically, and suffer socially from their experiences.

    Read More

  • Richard Henry Pratt And The Residential School System

    1224 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Canadian and American governments designed a residential school system to assimilate Indigenous children into Western society by stripping them of their language, cultural practices as well as their traditions. By breaking these children’s ties to their families and communities, as well as forcing them to assimilate into Western society; residential schools were a root cause of many social problems, which even persist within Aboriginal communities today.

    Read More

  • 8th Fire: Indigenous in the City Analysis: One Step Forward, One Step Back

    1576 Words  | 4 Pages

    Fleras, Augie. “Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: Repairing the Relationship.” Chapter 7 of Unequal Relations: An Introduction to Race, Ethnic and Aboriginal Dynamics in Canada. 6th ed. Toronto: Pearson, 2010. 162-210. Print.

    Read More

  • Conflict between Canada and the First Nations

    1149 Words  | 3 Pages

    Reed, Kevin, Natasha Beeds, and Barbara Filion. Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. Toronto: Pearson Canada, 2011. Print.

    Read More

  • Residential Schools In Canada

    714 Words  | 2 Pages

    The creation of the Residential Schools is now looked upon to be a regretful part of Canada’s past. The objective: to assimilate and to isolate First Nations and Aboriginal children so that they could be educated and integrated into Canadian society. However, under the image of morality, present day society views this assimilation as a deliberate form of cultural genocide. From the first school built in 1830 to the last one closed in 1996, Residential Schools were mandatory for First Nations or Aboriginal children and it was illegal for such children to attend any other educational institution. If there was any disobedience on the part of the parents, there would be monetary fines or in the worst case scenario, trouble with Indian Affairs.

    Read More

  • A Canadian Catastrophe: The Effect of Residential Schools on Aboriginal Parenting

    1444 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...al departments actually reaches first nations” (Assembly of First Nations 2007:1), with 11 percent of funding being spent on INAC departmental overhead (Assembly of First Nations 2007). In order to improve the conditions of Aboriginal life, and subsequently improve the parenting abilities of Aboriginals, we must first address and repair the underlying psychological, emotional, and social problems within Native communities. This process of repair should be facilitated through the development of a long-term strategy, designed to increase government spending towards beneficial social and medical programs, with a primary focus on addressing the traumas inflicted by the residential school system. In the words of Lloyd Robertson (2006: 21), “Concomitantly, community development work needs to be done to mitigate the disastrous effects of the residential school experiment.”

    Read More

  • Assimilation Of Aboriginals In Canada

    1608 Words  | 4 Pages

    Genocide, assimilation, and segregation-- these are all forms of cultural and ethnic cleansing that we as Canadians do not necessarily associate with what it means to be a Canadian, rather they are terms that we associate with occurrences in distant, dangerous and abysmal places (Fleras, 2012; p. 10). However, these terms are evidently applicable to the treatment of Aboriginals during the time of European colonization of Canada. Genocide is considered to “be the most serious of punishable crimes under international law…” (Fleras, 2010; p. 11); unfortunately, genocide has been inflicted upon Aboriginals in numerous forms as they suffered a loss of cultural identity through European-colonization. Assimilation has also affected Aboriginals as through the use of residential schools, Aboriginal children were taken from their families and forced to learn the dominant white way of life and abandon their culture (Fleras, 2010; p.13). Segregation of Aboriginals has also occurred, as reserves are restricted purely for individuals with Indian citizenship, hence keeping Aboriginals separate from the dominant culture (Fleras, 2010; p. 15). There is a lack of awareness on the horrendous and disgusting treatment of the original Canadian settlers, Aboriginals, which can be partially attributed to a narrative that has helped create the image of what it means to be a Canadian, a narrative that has provided the belief that white Europeans were the first to settle on Canadian land and has painted a picture of white settlers struggling to survive on their discovered Canadian land. This narrative has been termed the ‘frontier narrative’, and it truly has shaped Aboriginals lives in Canada. This paper will provide first and foremost a clear definition o...

    Read More

  • Afw Aboriginal Community Analysis

    322 Words  | 1 Pages

    UFCW Canada stands in solidarity with Aboriginal communities throughout the country who have been greatly affected by the impact of Indian Residential Schools (IRS). Hidden under the veil of furthering educational attainment for Aboriginal communities, these schools brought with them great harm to society for more than a century. These injustices led to systemic racism, discrimination and annihilation of the traditions and culture of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. Fittingly, The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada have termed the cycle of injustice in Canada’s Aboriginal populations to amount to genocidal proportions.

    Read More

  • Residential School Abuse in Canada

    2828 Words  | 6 Pages

    Residential schools were first established in the 1880's to solve Canada's “Indian Problem”. Settlers in Canada thought of the First Nations people as savages, and the goal of the residential schools was to civilize them and integrate them in to white Canadian society. The first operators of residential schools thought of their forced integration as a benefit to native peoples. One of the overseers of residential schools wrote to the Sisters in charge of St. Joseph's Mission at Williams Lake that “It now remains for ...

    Read More

  • Aboriginal Education In Canada

    1254 Words  | 3 Pages

    For generations prior to the European arrival, aboriginal people practiced a strict culture in their native land now known as Canada. However, the early settlers conveyed the notion that their lifestyle was upon the highest accomplishment of mankind. Aboriginal people were seen as savages and incompetent of surviving in modern society. In resolution, the Canadian government issued an aggressive school system in the 1880’s that would “culture” the Aboriginal children. This system was managed by churches, whose purpose was to educate the child by adapting them into the mainstream Canadian society. This nonetheless, became a very serious issue that questioned Canada’s democracy and the basic civil rights that came along with it. In addition, this destructive system left a long range of impacts. Residential schools undermined Aboriginal culture causing a profound displacement of aboriginal people even to this day.

    Read More

  • Residential School System

    642 Words  | 2 Pages

    These residential schools have become mandatory. The Canadian government saw this was the only way to educate these people, and changing their way of life, by changing their religion, language ,and beliefs. The residential school’s main focus was to tech these native’s the English language and change their religion into the Christianity faith. The schools were run by church priest and nuns in almost every province in Canada from 1860-1884. By 1931 there were eight residential schools. The period of these credentials school lasted for sixty five years, up until the last residential school which was closed down in 1996. This ...

    Read More

  • Residential Schools Essay

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    In school we are always taught about the lighter parts of Canadian History, but only until recently have Canadian students been taught about the darker parts of our history. Residential Schools were included in these dark parts of Canada’s history. In the 19th century, the Canadian government believed that Residential Schools were responsible for educating and caring for the country’s aboriginal people. The goal of these schools was to teach the aboriginal children about Christianity and Canadian customs, in hopes of them passing these practices on towards their own children and it would eventually be adopted into the aboriginal culture. The Canadian

    Read More

More about The Sociological Effects of Residential Schools

Open Document