Urban spaces are an increasingly common indigenous reality, and while urban spaces often involve great social and geographic distances from traditional communities, many urban populations have built vibrant communities in cities. This thesis will examine the creation of Métis cultural spaces in Winnipeg, Manitoba, as a community building strategy. It is situated in thirteen in-depth interviews with Métis community builders conducted in Winnipeg over the Summer of 2008. The Winnipeg Metis community is rhizomatic in makeup, situated not in geographic locations, but in the networks of instantaneous and spontaneous social interaction of community members and institutions—elders, political organizations and governance structures. Rhizomatic space is a form of social organization, which emerges out of everyday social life, and because it is only observable during the brief instances of human interaction, it is nearly invisible to outsiders and thus difficult to colonize. It is also a primary means by which Métis people are reclaiming space in their traditional homeland on the Red River. This paper theorizes an alternative tactic to resistance through a decentered form of political organization, grounded in the community and its organic institutions. It proposes that the everyday creation of social and cultural spaces in urban centres is an effective way to build urban indigenous communities with minimal interference or involvement of the State, and that this develops more or less organically without the need for bureaucratic oversight. The paper concludes that the everyday creation of rhizomatic space is a highly effective means of community building and resistance. / Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2009-08-20 19:43:50.279

Abstract This thesis explores Henri Tajfel’s Social Identity Theory (1981) with a specific focus on the process of self-categorization. Tajfel’s theory provides the theoretical framework to understand the social category of Métis as a social group. Eight self-identified Métis adults were interviewed individually utilizing a semi-structured interview to explore their Métis self-identification and operationalize the conceptual framework. The three main research questions used to develop the conceptual framework are: 1) what are Métis characteristics?, 2) Do self-identified Métis adults evaluate the Métis group to which they identify as positive, negative or both?, 3) Do self-identified Métis adults feel like they fit in or belong to the Métis group? Both open ended and closed ended questions were used to explore Métis adults’ perspectives related to their social self-categorization. Data were analyzed; conclusions were drawn and verified utilizing the recommendations of Miles and Huberman (1994). Findings were theoretically interpreted utilizing the social identity perspective. The study’s results support the use of Tajfel’s theoretical conception of a group as a conceptual framework in understanding the experience and perspective of the Métis participants in this study.

Abstract This thesis explores Henri Tajfel’s Social Identity Theory (1981) with a specific focus on the process of self-categorization. Tajfel’s theory provides the theoretical framework to understand the social category of Métis as a social group. Eight self-identified Métis adults were interviewed individually utilizing a semi-structured interview to explore their Métis self-identification and operationalize the conceptual framework. The three main research questions used to develop the conceptual framework are: 1) what are Métis characteristics?, 2) Do self-identified Métis adults evaluate the Métis group to which they identify as positive, negative or both?, 3) Do self-identified Métis adults feel like they fit in or belong to the Métis group? Both open ended and closed ended questions were used to explore Métis adults’ perspectives related to their social self-categorization. Data were analyzed; conclusions were drawn and verified utilizing the recommendations of Miles and Huberman (1994). Findings were theoretically interpreted utilizing the social identity perspective. The study’s results support the use of Tajfel’s theoretical conception of a group as a conceptual framework in understanding the experience and perspective of the Métis participants in this study.

This thesis examines the portrayal of Aboriginal Peoples in two Saskatchewan daily newspapers. This research is based on the question: "How is the notion of Aboriginal Peoples socially constructed in the print media?" Previous research indicates that media portrayals of minority groups are often partial and stereotypical. Such portrayals are partly responsible for linking the unacceptable behavior of minority groups to phenotypic traits, and thereby contributing to the social significance of "race." Discourse analysis is used to analyze 437 newspaper articles that were collected using a full-text keyword search of the EBSCO Host database, which indexes articles from the Leader Post and the Star Phoenix. In general, the results reveal that Aboriginal peoples are regularly portrayed as problematic; either as having problems themselves, or as causing problems for non-Aboriginal peoples. The results support the view that race is socially constructed and demonstrate that "race," through media discourse, can become a socially acceptable explanation for social problems.

This thesis examines the portrayal of Aboriginal Peoples in two Saskatchewan daily newspapers. This research is based on the question: "How is the notion of Aboriginal Peoples socially constructed in the print media?" Previous research indicates that media portrayals of minority groups are often partial and stereotypical. Such portrayals are partly responsible for linking the unacceptable behavior of minority groups to phenotypic traits, and thereby contributing to the social significance of "race." Discourse analysis is used to analyze 437 newspaper articles that were collected using a full-text keyword search of the EBSCO Host database, which indexes articles from the Leader Post and the Star Phoenix. In general, the results reveal that Aboriginal peoples are regularly portrayed as problematic; either as having problems themselves, or as causing problems for non-Aboriginal peoples. The results support the view that race is socially constructed and demonstrate that "race," through media discourse, can become a socially acceptable explanation for social problems.

According to Greek mythology, when the god of opportunity appears, there is but an instant in which a person must seize him in order to take advantage of the god's beneficence. If the moment is missed, the god passes by, finalizing the loss of opportunity. As a rhetorical concept, kairos emphasizes the importance of seizing--even creating--opportunities in a manner that is situationally effective and appropriate. Though kairos is often discussed as a single, pivotal moment of opportunity, this study argues that in order to better understand kairos and its role in rhetorical studies, the concept must be understood much more expansively.One of the central ways in which this dissertation broadens the concept of kairos is by acknowledging the long-standing conceptual and iconographic link between kairos and metanoia. In artwork and epigrams, the god of opportunity is often depicted with a female figure named Metanoia who brings elements such as repentance, reflection, regret, and transformation into the kairotic moment. Additionally, exploring the connections between kairos and metanoia introduces the concepts of metis (cunning or skill) and akairos (the inopportune) into kairos. Thus this dissertation expands the realm of kairos to include both opportune and inopportune moments that the savvy (or metis-endowed) rhetor can navigate.In addition to acknowledging the vital roles that metanoia, metis, and akairos play in the kairotic moment, this dissertation argues that an expanded theory of kairos offers new avenues for studying and employing emotion in the field of rhetoric and composition. In particular, it introduces the concept of akairos as both a rhetorical strategy (akairotic rhetoric) and an entry point into analytical discussions of the ways in which emotion functions on both individual and societal levels to alter perceptions of the possible. This dissertation argues that an expanded theory of kairos, one that recognizes the importance of akairos, extends the options for emotion as rhetorical device by challenging the etiquettes of emotion that traditional theories of kairos maintain.

There is a wealth of research showing the demotivating effects of prejudice on the academic achievement of historically marginalized social groups. However, there is a lack of research involving Metis students. The purpose of the present study was to examine how the task performance and attitudes of Metis post-secondary students can be influenced by prejudice. Data from 165 Metis post-secondary students were analyzed. The participants were asked to role play applying for a job with a non-Aboriginal employment manager, who may or may not have held negative attitudes towards Aboriginal people. The study involved a 2 X 3 research design. The participants were categorized into two groups: High and low Metis identifiers. They were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) Prejudiced (manager held negative attitudes about Aboriginal people); (2) Unknown attitudes (students were not given any information about the manager’s attitudes), and; (3) Non-prejudiced (manager thought favourably about Aboriginal people). The participants completed a battery of questionnaires, the scores of which functioned as dependent variables: the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT) was used to assess verbal fluency, and to infer motivation; the Selection Attitudes (SA) Scale was used to assess the students’ expectations of being hired, the value they placed on being hired, their motivation to perform the verbal task, as well as their beliefs about the manager’s sense of fairness; and the Stereotyping of Whites (SW) Scale which assessed the extent to which the participants stereotyped the non-Aboriginal employment manager. The Metis Identity (MI) Scale was used to categorize the participants into high or low Metis identifiers. As a preliminary procedure, a psychometric investigation was conducted on the Metis Identity (MI) and Selection Attitudes (SA) Scales. The investigation found the MI Scale to be a reliable measure of high or low Metis identity. The SA Scale consisted of four subscales: expectations, valuing, motivation, and fairness. The valuing subscale was shown to be unreliable and therefore removed from the SA Scale. The primary analysis tested six research hypotheses, which considered the extent to which the high and low Metis identifiers responded to the questionnaires within each of the three research conditions (Prejudiced, Unknown attitudes, Non-prejudiced). It was hypothesised that, while the reactions of the high and low Metis identifiers would not differ significantly in the Prejudiced condition (i.e., where the possibility of prejudice was likely and imminent), the reactions of the high identifiers would be significantly more negative than the reactions of the low identifiers in the Unknown and Non-prejudiced conditions (i.e., where the possibility of prejudice was either ambiguous or unlikely). The hypotheses were not supported. Although there were no significant interaction effects that would support the hypotheses, there were several main effects for both the Metis identity and Prejudice factors. The high Metis identifiers reported more motivation and overall optimism about being hired than did the low identifiers. There were also several main effects for the Prejudice factor. Participants in the Prejudiced condition reported less of an expectation of being hired than those students in either the unknown attitudes or non-prejudice conditions. The participants in the Prejudiced condition also reported less motivation to perform the verbal fluency task to the best of their ability than did the participants in the unknown attitudes condition. The participants in the Prejudiced condition also stereotyped the manager more negatively than those participants in the other two, less threatening conditions. Even though the participants in the Prejudiced condition reacted more negatively to the possibility of prejudice than did those in the Unknown attitudes and Non-prejudiced conditions, whether the participants were high or low Metis identifiers did not significantly influence their reactions. In addition to the primary analyses, multiple regression analyses were performed with the COWAT and motivation as dependent variables. The analysis found that length of post-secondary education, reported motivation, and perceived fairness predicted the COWAT. The Selection Attitudes (SA) Scale and Metis Identity (MI) Scale predicted reported motivation. The study showed that Metis post-secondary students can react negatively to perceived prejudice, especially when it appears to be likely and imminent. However, their reactions may have little to do with whether they are high or low Metis identifiers. Since the perceived possibility of prejudice can influence Metis post-secondary students, it is important for non-Aboriginal educators to be aware of their attitudes and beliefs about Metis students in order to better appreciate how these beliefs can influence their students for the better or worse.

The majority of Indigenous peoples in Canada are now living in urban centres. Following the publication of the Final Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples in 1996, academics and policy makers were encouraged to further research the heterogeneous experiences and realities of urban Indigenous peoples living in Canadian cities. This thesis responds to this call and seeks to explore the social geographies and lived experiences of urban Metis peoples, a segment of the urban Indigenous population that has to date been largely left out of the literature. This work relates specifically to Metis living in Ottawa, representing the first study of its kind in eastern Canada. Although Ottawa is not a traditional Metis community and is located outside of the traditional Metis Homeland, the city does represent an important Metis meeting place and space where various understandings of Metis identity from across the country come into contact with one another. The ways in which urban Metis identities are formed and maintained, the movement and strategies Metis peoples utilize to create a sense of place and home, and the ways in which individuals and the community at large come into contact with power at the municipal level are explored at length. Utilizing Henri Lefevbre and Iris Marion Young’s concepts of right to the city and unassimilated otherness, this thesis argues that urban Metis peoples in Ottawa merit greater recognition primarily through the creation of a permanent fixture, such as a Metis house, within the city’s urban landscape.

Master of Arts / Department of History / Bonnie Lynn-Sherow / Joseph LaFramboise’ life was the product of a rich milieu of ethnicities working, trading, and living together in the first half of the nineteenth century. His was a multi-cultural experience on the fur trade frontier. Born in 1805 and living through the first half of the nineteenth century, LaFramboise utilized multiple identities and strategies drawn from Odawa, Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota, and French Canadian cultures while integrating into the developing American identity. He maneuvered socially and economically during an unstable political period along the shifting margins between native and Euro-American cultures. His life-long vocation in the fur trade, and more specifically with the American Fur Company, was influenced by his family’s successful Michigan fur trade business, his friendships within the Company, and his experience as part of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota community. The fur trade afforded him both relational and economic ties to the Eastern Dakota bands of Minnesota and to the other trade families of the American Fur Company. The trade also placed him on the cusp of American exploration into the continent’s mid-section allowing his local knowledge, built up by years of traveling the interior, to inform the explorations and writings of people like George Catlin, Joseph Nicollet, and John C. Fremont. By mid-century, ironically, LaFramboise, who had spent a lifetime building multi-ethnic relationships, found himself increasingly bound by rigid ideas about race, brought on by expanding American settlement. His business decisions and his familial ones became driven more by the expectations of an advancing Euro-American society. Even so, those decisions carried the distinctive character of a man used to living in a culturally complex world.

In this paper, I discuss how I planned to implement an Insurgent Research methodology articulated by Métis scholar, Adam Gaudry in his article “Insurgent Research.” I organized my historic Métis community using an insurgent research model as methodology along with storytelling, community meetings and ‘kitchen table’ discussions to challenge the narrative set in motion by the justice system for San Clara and Boggy Creek Manitoba. I briefly discuss a 2011 court decision, R v Langan, that denied the traditional and re-emergent identity of San Clara. I implemented a community-based co-researcher model grounded in a culture of mutual respect and relationship building to push back against this decision. I include scholarly writings that recommend recording local histories and community and family relationships. / February 2017