Black African immigrant graduate students’ identities and education: The influence of African Indigenous knowledge within Canada’s multiculturalism
Abstract
This thesis explains the influence of African Indigenous Knowledge in the education and identities of Black African Immigrant graduate students in Alberta, situated within Canada’s multiculturalism. Black African immigrant students’ identities are formed and shaped by their African Indigenous experiences, which influences their socio-cultural development in Canada. Canada recognizes and promotes diversity and inclusion through the Federal Multiculturalism Act (1988), which preserves and enhances the multicultural heritage of all Canadians. This exploratory research explains how the exclusion of African Indigenous knowledge in the education of Black African students impacts them; whether a shift to acknowledge and validate African Indigenous knowledge would create a better educational impact for Black African Immigrant students; and how multiculturalism enables the diverse population to understand their human rights and support the reclaiming of self and identity. The study also looks at how the strategies adopted by the Indigenous people of Canada to reclaim their identities could inform the actions of Black Africans.
Notes
Key findings:
1) Canadian multiculturalism was critiqued as unresponsive to the needs and interests of Black African immigrant students and not supportive of their identity reclamation.
2) African Indigenous knowledge is a significant part of the identity of Black African immigrant students and the acknowledgment and validation of those knowledge systems within a multicultural society creates a better educational experience.
3) African Indigenous knowledges that shaped identity were grounded in heritage, religion, culture, language and race, and enriched by interactions with their community, ancestral connections to place, African values, African pride and resiliency and strength from cultural values and community.
Key populations: First and second generation Black African immigrant graduate students
Key recommendations:
1) Advocate for education systems to commit to decolonized curriculums that present and incorporate decolonized information about the histories and backgrounds of diverse people.
2) Create awareness and awaken consciousness of immigrant students to options for more successful educational integration through their African Indigenous knowledges.
3) Add to the empirical evidence that position African Indigenous knowledge as a source of factual knowledge in higher education.
Location: Edmonton, AB
Open access: Yes
Community organizations: n/a
Future research / gaps identified:
1) Focus on further exploring the experiences, perspectives, and aspirations of both Black African immigrants and Indigenous peoples in Canada.
2) Continue to gather data to inform the development of policies and programs that address the systemic barriers and Eurocentric interferences in higher education.
Integration timeline: not defined