“Daga Waawiinadamawishin” (Explain It to Me): Critical Race Theory, Indigenous Epistemologies, and Institutional Racism in the Canadian University

Abstract

This paper examines the structures and persistence of institutional racism within Canadian universities through the combined lenses of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Indigenous epistemologies. Grounded in the author’s positionality as Indigenous faculty members in a publicly funded Ontario university, the inquiry investigates how racism is produced, normalized, and sustained across the continuum of compulsory mainstream schooling and post-secondary education. Drawing on a critical review of scholarly and popularized literature, the study identifies four interrelated themes that shape Indigenous and racialized faculty experiences in the Academy: (1) the reproduction of the status quo through mainstream schooling, (2) Whiteness as a mechanism of institutional control, (3) the performative nature of institutional documents and policy inaction, and (4) linguistic racism rooted in colonial nationalism and monolingualism.

CRT is employed as an analytical framework to restory dominant narratives that obscure the racialized foundations of higher education, while Indigenous epistemologies—particularly relationality and responsibility—inform a reflective praxis oriented toward healing, accountability, and transformation. The paper situates contemporary manifestations of racism within historical and ongoing colonial structures, including residential schooling, curricular erasure, and governance practices that privilege Whiteness under the guise of equity and multiculturalism.

The study concludes by offering praxis-based recommendations for institutional change, including collective bargaining advocacy, curricular reform, Indigenous and Racialized Course Requirements (IRCR), and the meaningful inclusion of Indigenous and racialized voices in strategic planning processes. By foregrounding lived experience, critical reflection, and ethical relationality, this paper contributes to ongoing conversations about reconciliation, decolonization, and anti-racist transformation in Canadian higher education.