Systemic Rage

In his paper Colonialism and State Dependency, CWIS associate scholar Gerald Taiaiake Alfred — professor at the School of Indigenous Governance at the University of Victoria — discusses the disturbing mentalities, psychologies and behaviors characteristic of colonized indigenous peoples. Noting the damage done to the cultural integrity and mental and physical health of First Nations peoples in Canada, Alfred advocates a radical approach to recovery. Rejecting the colonial mandate to assimilate or suffer, professor Alfred says we must recognize the systemic rage that comes from the erosion of an ethic of universal respect and responsibility that used to be the hallmark of indigenous societies.