Introduction
For this paper, I will be connecting a chapter by Dian Million (2013) with the one by Ann Cvetkovich (2012) by working through, and from, a particular quote. My goal, then, is to draw a parallel between the treatment and conditions of life as a black American with that of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada. That is not to say I intend to conflate the experiences of the two groups, as I recognize them as substantively different. Rather, what I want to show is that the afterlife of slavery for black Americans and the afterlife of colonialism for Aboriginal Canadians is strikingly similar. Put another way, the history of both slavery and colonialism have current political stakes that skew life chances, limit access to health and education,
…show more content…
However, in this context that would not be practicable. Although all four points regarding the afterlife of slavery (or colonialism) that are made by Hartman are important and valuable, for feasibility purposes I wish to tackle two in particular: access to health and education, and premature death. My aim is to show that the impact of slavery and colonialism are felt to this day, and because of this, we must recognize the current context within its historical …show more content…
One of the reasons I chose to focus on health and education as well as premature death is because of their innate connection. That is, poor access to health and education can be understood as factors associated with an increased likelihood of premature death. Further, in the Canadian context colonization is linked to the “poor health, both physical and mental, substance abuse, suicide risk, and early death” (Million, 2013, 5), of Aboriginal people. For Million (2013), the problem in this particular context is that the Canadian government created a narrative of the colonized subject as a trauma victim
To begin, Wigmore argues that there is an important relationship between slavery and the borders which allowed the slaves their freedom. Wigmore develops this idea by introducing his reader to personal case studies. He provides context by giving a historical as well as personal narratives of runaway slaves. He uses that narrative to than explore the historical laws and amendments that were created on the basis of slavery. In particular, Wigmore looks at two contradictory laws; the Upper Canada’s 1793 antislavery act which “forbade the introduction of new slaves into their respective jurisdictions” and the Jay Treaty of 1794 which “protected the private property of British subjects living in the region prior to the American takeover in 1796, and that such property included slaves.” Wigmore demonstrates through the use of personal stories how these two acts were contradictory and confusing for the habitants of both countries.
In the early 1800’s, the United States’ culture of slavery was fostered for a lifespan of forcible enslavement. For all Slaves, this was the normality which was callously endured. In his work, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, “An American Slave,” Frederick Douglass argues and exemplifies that his fate was destined outside of the walls of slavery.
While the formal abolition of slavery, on the 6th of December 1865 freed black Americans from their slave labour, they were still unequal to and discriminated by white Americans for the next century. This ‘freedom’, meant that black Americans ‘felt like a bird out of a cage’ , but this freedom from slavery did not equate to their complete liberty, rather they were kept in destitute through their economic, social, and political state.
Likewise, the death rate among Aboriginals infant is 4 times the rate of Canada as whole. Aboriginals preschoolers and teenagers death rate is 5 times and 3 times the national rate respectively. (Aboriginal Nurses Association Canada (A.N.A.C), 2009, p.8). Cultural discontinuity has been associated with higher rates of depression, alcoholism, suicide and violence which is greater on the Aboriginal youth (Kirmayer et al, 2000). According to Health Canada document on suicide prevention, suicides rate is highest in the world among Inuit youth. In Nunavut, 1989 to 1993 suicides rate was 79 cases in 10000, but in 1999 to 2003 the cases were risen to 119. (Aboriginal Nurses Association Canada (A.N.A.C, 2009, p.9).
Many of the inequalities in the health of the Aboriginal people can be attributed to the
To begin with, once the policy of assimilation came into effect, Aboriginals were subject to a new environment, resulting in the loss of their culture. It is due to this, that the rates of suicide for First Na...
In this essay the writer will discuss the colonisation of Australia, and the effects that dispossession had on indigenous communities. It will define health, comparing the difference between indigenous and non- indigenous health. It will point out the benefits and criticism of the Biomedical and sociological models of health, and state why it is important in healthcare to be culturally competent with Transcultural theory. The case study of Rodney will be analyzed to distinguish which models of health were applied to Rodney’s care, and if transcultural theory was present when health care workers were dealing with Rodney’s treatment plan.
After colonization began there were countless detrimental changes to the indigenous way of life that took place. Neu (2000) discusses these detrimental changes in detail. The author accounts for the lost of their land and natural environment, the discouragement of their lifestyle focused on hunting and gathering, the separation of families via the residential school system, and the punishment received for the usage of traditional customs and language. In many ways the colonists disrespected the Aboriginal people by disregarding their fundamental needs and wants. Additionally, the process of colonization implemented some drastic gender role changes into Aboriginal culture. Colonization imposed European patriarchy, accompanied by racism and sexism, on the matriarchal Aboriginal cultures. As a result, the Aboriginal women of Canada lost their sense of purpose and responsibility, burdening them with less respect and power compared to the men. This loss contributed to many negative effects for these women and made them feel a strong sense of cultural estrangement.
In order to understand the impact of colonisation on Aboriginal health; it is important to recognize their worldview or set of beliefs on health (Tilburt, 2010). They practice a “holistic” approach unlike the Western Biomedical model where health is centred on biological functioning (Lock, 2007). According to this model the essence of being healthy relies on the mental, spiritual and social well-being rather than the absence of an illness (Hampton & Toombs, 2013). It is closely linked to spiritual and environmental factors; the heart of which is country, tradition and kinship. Land is a source of identity and spirituality for indigenous people (Hampton & Toombs, 2013). Kinship manages connection to land as well as ceremonial obligations and interpersonal relationships (Hampton & Toombs, 2013). For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders a healthy person consists of physical and spiritual elements. It’s evident that colonisation eroded the structures upon which Indige...
Health care inequities can be elucidated by the research that identifies the social, economic and political ideologies that reflect aspects of cultural safety (Crandon, 1986; O’Neil, 1989 as cited in Browne & Fiske, 2001). There are various factors that affect the mistreatment of aboriginal peoples as they access health care in local health care facilities such as hospitals and clinics. Aboriginal women face many barriers and are discriminated against as a result based on their visible minority status such as race, gender and class (Gerber, 1990; Dion Stout, 1996; Voyageur, 1996 as cited in Browne & Fiske, 2001). A study done on Aboriginal peoples in Northern B.C. showed high rates of unemployment, underemployment and dependency on social welfare monies (Browne & Fiske, 2001). This continued political economic marginalisation of aboriginal peoples widens the gap between the colonizers and the colonized. The existence of racial profiling of aboriginal peoples by “Indian status” often fuels more stigmatization of these people because other Canadians who do not see the benefits of compensations received with having this status often can be resentful in what they may perceive is another compensation to aboriginal peoples. The re...
Slavery in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries consisted of brutal and completely unjust treatment of African-Americans. Africans were pulled from their families and forced to work for cruel masters under horrendous conditions, oceans away from their homes. While it cannot be denied that slavery everywhere was horrible, the conditions varied greatly and some slaves lived a much more tolerable life than others. Examples of these life styles are vividly depicted in the personal narratives of Olaudah Equiano and Mary Prince. The diversity of slave treatment and conditions was dependent on many different factors that affected a slave’s future. Mary Prince and Olaudah Equiano both faced similar challenges, but their conditions and life styles
David M. Oshinsky’s book “Worse Than Slavery” brings to life the reality that faced slaves after the abolishment of slavery. It recounts the lives that these men faced daily and it made me question the humanity of all those who were involved and question how as a society we let this ever happen. From the convicts being leased out to people who didn’t care about their well-being to a life back on a state ran plantation, where life was worse than it was for them as slaves. It showed just how unfair the justice system was for a black prisoner compared to a white prisoner. Their lives were worthless and replaceable and only mattered when they were thought to be worth something to someone.
Narrowing towards thesis: “Aboriginal women between 25 and 44 are five times more likely to die a violent death than other women.”( The Tragedy of Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women in Canada).
To understand the desperation of wanting to obtain freedom at any cost, it is necessary to take a look into what the conditions and lives were like of slaves. It is no secret that African-American slaves received cruel and inhumane treatment. Although she wrote of the horrific afflictions experienced by slaves, Linda Brent said, “No pen can give adequate description of the all-pervading corruption produced by slavery." The life of a slave was never a satisfactory one, but it all depended on the plantation that one lived on and the mast...
Berlin, Ira. Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery in North America. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1998.