This study investigates the current discourses of Great Zimbabwe by analysing traces of colonial terminology within present-day literary illustrations. The aim is to identify western ideas and perspectives still dominant within the discourses and explore its implications. By conducting research on how Great Zimbabwe is being illustrated today within academic literature as well as more popular texts, the study demonstrates the role and power of discourse in relation to questions regarding who is authorized to write history and define heritage. Special focus is placed on discourse’s implications on the perception of reality and identity within a context heavily tainted by colonialism. This investigation is a pilot study which hopes to encourage further research on the representation of heritage sites that are vulnerable to political discourses. / Studien undersöker den nuvarande diskursen kring Stora Zimbabwe genom att identifiera och analysera spår från den koloniala terminologin inom dagens litterära illustrationer. Syftet är att urskilja dominanta västerländska idéer och perspektiv inom diskursen och granska dess inflytande. Genom att undersöka hur Stora Zimbabwe illustreras inom dagens akademiska och mer populära litteratur kan studien demonstrera diskursens roll och maktposition, vilket leder till frågor om vem som bär på rätten att definiera historia och kulturarv. Speciellt fokus har lagts på diskursens påverkan vad gäller hur människan uppfattar verkligheten och hur identiteter formas inom den koloniala kontexten. Underökningen är en förstudie som hoppas kunna uppmuntra vidare forskning som behandlar representationen av kulturarv som formats och påverkats av politiska diskurser.

From its inception, Canada's 'Indian policy' has sought to undermine the bond between indigenous children and their communities. Each era has seen a new reason and corresponding tactic to remove indigenous children. They have been institutionalized in residential schools, placed in foster homes, provincial 'care' facilities, and adopted by Euro-Canadian families. While it is widely accepted that the forceful removal of indigenous children during the residential school era and the "Sixties Scoop" was a colonial strategy, contemporary child welfare practices seem to escape the same scrutiny. This seems to be the case even though indigenous children continue to be removed en masse and are vastly overrepresented in the Canadian child welfare system. Indeed, there are more indigenous children in 'care' today than ever before in Canadian history, including the residential school era and following the "Sixties Scoop". Given these trends the colonial effect of contemporary child welfare practices seems evident. This project thus seeks to problematize child welfare practices in relation to indigenous peoples. In particular, it is the aim of this thesis to shed light on some of the narratives that underlie these practices. Through a critical discourse analysis this thesis illuminates how news media in Alberta and Manitoba disseminate controlling images of indigenous peoples and their children. I argue that the discourses in both provinces normalize the removal of indigenous children while naturalizing colonial control. / Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2011-06-30 11:58:07.536