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Warkentin, David

University of British Columbia

The role of place of in education is complex and multifaceted; place is both a topic of inquiry and a context for education. Yet many Western approaches to education continue to be structured around universal approaches to knowledge and skills development that neglect the role of place in education. The result is education operating under the illusion of placelessness, which obscures how Western society exerts power over people and land in the places of education. This dissertation responds to the problem of placelessness by examining the author’s location as an educator in Stó:lō Téméxw, the land of the Stó:lō people, commonly known as British Columbia’s Fraser Valley. This project draws on the curriculum research method of synoptic text, a form of inquiry that explores relevant historical and cultural knowledge on topics in society and education. Synoptic text research is used to explore the historical impacts of possessiveness and superiority in settler colonialism in this region, providing relevant examples from the author’s own practice. This research contributes to the field of place-based education by drawing on concepts from critical place-based and Indigenous land-based education to address the complexities of Indigenous and settler connection to the land. Connection to the land is surveyed within both Stó:lō and settler history. The wisdom of Stó:lō relationship and responsibility to the land is examined alongside the settler assumptions of possessiveness and superiority. By engaging the complicated conversations between Stó:lō and settler perspectives and practices, this curriculum research invites educators to refuse easy solutions to the complexity of decolonization in education. The curriculum research findings lead to discussion on practices of unlearning and relationality that contribute to decolonization in education. Research conversations with Stó:lō educators and leaders and experiments with curriculum examples are included to illustrate ways the relevant knowledge of Stó:lō Téméxw can inform educational practice. The iterative and contextual nature of these conversations and curriculum examples invite educators to consider the implications for unsettling education in their own places of education.

Text

2025-04-09

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/90616

Educational Leadership and Policy

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/