The Canadian Association for Studies in Indigenous Education/L’Association canadienne pour l’étude de l’éducation des autochtones (CASIE/ACÉÉA) promotes the study and dialogue of professors, students, researchers and practitioners in the field of Aboriginal/Indigenous education. CASIE is a constituent association of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE).
Statement of Solidarity with the Black Canadian Studies Association (BCSA)
We were dismayed when the Federation initially declined to meet the forms of redress outlined by the BCSA, which precipitated the BCSA’s decision to withdraw from participating in Congress 2021. It is the position of our association that these actions—namely, the restitution of a Congress theme focused on Black Studies, along with the waiving of registration fees for BCSA graduate students and community members to enable Congress attendance—are significant and material, offering a feasible way forward for future work and relationships. After the BCSA’s statement of withdrawal was released, the Federation revised its position and issued a formal response (Feb. 11 2021), stating that these conditions would in fact be met. Further, the Federation has broadened the waiving of fees to include all self-identified Black and Indigenous students and members of the general public. While this is most welcome news and will offer significant opportunities for anti-racist and anti-colonial work to be done at upcoming Congress events, this move comes at the cost of having our BCSA colleagues and kin at this year’s events. We also recognize that some of our members and colleagues may elect to withdraw from Congress 2021. We respect and support those who enter into these important forms of refusal and solidarity.
CASIE/ACÉÉA will proceed with its activities at Congress 2021, with a commitment to furthering decolonial scholarship and labouring to dismantle systems of oppression that target racialized and otherwise minoritized groups. We strongly encourage our members to attend to these conversations during our virtual events this spring. We are grateful to the BCSA for enacting relationship with Indigenous peoples and we wish to express our solidarity and kinship as a gesture of reciprocity and to guide our steps going forward. The enclosed position paper elaborates on this brief statement. We welcome feedback and responses from our community members.
All our relations,
Aubrey Jean Hanson (ajhanson@ucalgary.ca), Dustin Louie, Jennifer MacDonald, Lindsay Morcom, and Jan Hare—CASIE Executive 2020-2021
CASIE/ACÉÉA will proceed with its activities at Congress 2021, with a commitment to furthering decolonial scholarship and labouring to dismantle systems of oppression that target racialized and otherwise minoritized groups. We strongly encourage our members to attend to these conversations during our virtual events this spring. We are grateful to the BCSA for enacting relationship with Indigenous peoples and we wish to express our solidarity and kinship as a gesture of reciprocity and to guide our steps going forward. The enclosed position paper elaborates on this brief statement. We welcome feedback and responses from our community members.
All our relations,
Aubrey Jean Hanson (ajhanson@ucalgary.ca), Dustin Louie, Jennifer MacDonald, Lindsay Morcom, and Jan Hare—CASIE Executive 2020-2021
CSSE 2021 is scheduled for May 29-June 3. For more information, please visit the CSSE Conference Website.