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Third eye seeing : examining decolonial, intersectional pedagogies in Canadian nursing and medical (NursMed) education Bhandal, Taqdir

Abstract

The Third Eye Seeing project investigates how Decolonial, Intersectional Pedagogies can inform Canadian Nursing and Medical (NursMed) Education. The intention of the project is to contribute to the development of Canadian NursMed Education and efforts to redress deepening, intersecting health and social inequities. Briefly, Decolonial, Intersectional Pedagogies are philosophies of learning that encourage teachers and students to reflect on health through the lenses of settler-colonialism, health equity, and social justice. Drawing on Decolonial, Intersectional Pedagogies, Canadian NursMed Education could ostensibly prepare learners to address the symptoms of modernity, especially settler-colonialism. Diverse academic perspectives have led me to the following research questions: (A) What are the ways in which Decolonial, Intersectional Pedagogies can inform Canadian NursMed Education? (B) What are the potential struggles and adaptations required to integrate Decolonial, Intersectional Pedagogies within Canadian NursMed Education? Drawing on critical ethnographic research methods, I conducted in-depth interviews with faculty members and engaged in participant observation of classrooms in university-based Canadian NursMed Education. The dissertation as a whole, and the analysis was informed by theoretical perspectives including decolonization, intersectionality, and critical theory. Interpretive description guided the analysis of the themes reflected in the data. The research findings are organized into three chapters, beginning with a presentation of four common ‘institutional features’ influencing the uptake of pedagogical approaches: crowded curriculum, academic freedom, the recent Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, and admissions processes. The next set of findings addresses the complex strategies participants applied to integrate Decolonial, Intersectional Pedagogies in their teaching approaches. Lastly, the findings illustrate the emotional and spiritual toll some faculty members face when attempting to deliver Decolonial, Intersectional Pedagogies. Based on an analysis, I discuss the concept of Third Eye Seeing as a heuristic (in solidarity with Two-Eyed Seeing) to apply in creating adaptive pedagogies for Canadian NursMed Education. Through the application of multiple worldsenses teachers and students can support movements towards health equity, social justice, and unlearning/undoing settler-colonialism. With this context in mind, this dissertation project intended to generate new knowledge to stimulate dialogue and action regarding the role of Canadian NursMed Education as an upstream determinant of health.

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International