The Inuit have experienced significant cultural changes since initial contact with
European settlers and explorers in the 17th Century, changes that accelerated in the mid-
20th century. Basing their relationships to the Inuit in imperialism (the policy and practice
of empire expansion), Europeans used political, economic and cultural tactics to swiftly
establish a cultural hierarchy and solidify the Inuit’s position as ‘The Other’ – an ‘out-group’
viewed as inherently inferior to the ‘in-group’. The Arctic has remained
hierarchized because of implicit settler colonial processes that permeate political and
cultural relations and underpin modern policy development. An examination of the
nutrition transition – the shift away from traditional foods to commercialized market
options – brings these implicit settler colonial processes into focus. The transition to a
Western diet has accompanied chronic poverty and provoked high levels of food
insecurity, resulting in numerous negative health outcomes among Inuit. Current health
promotion initiatives employ an ineffective downstream approach to reduce Nunavut
food insecurity – which is approximately three times greater than the Canadian average –
when the issue is a result of rampant poverty. Disproportionately high rates of food
insecurity are a manifestation of settler colonialism and fuel a covertly racist national
attitude toward the Inuit, maintaining their marginalized position. This study examines
national coverage of Nunavut food insecurity as presented in two of Canada’s most
widely read newspapers: The Globe and Mail and National Post. A critical discourse
analysis (CDA) was employed to analyze 24 articles, 19 from The Globe and Mail and 5
from National Post. Analysis suggests national print media propagates the Inuit’s
position as The Other by selectively reporting on social issues such as hunger, poverty
and income. Terms such as “Northerners” and “Southerners” are frequently used to
categorically separate Nunavut from the rest of Canada and Inuit-driven efforts to resolve
their own issues are widely ignored. This effectively portrays the Inuit as helpless and the
territory as a failure, and allows Canadians to maintain colonialist views of Inuit
inferiority and erroneously assume Federal initiatives effectively address Northern food
insecurity. / Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2014-02-27 10:52:16.947
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:OKQ.1974/8639 |
| Date | 27 February 2014 |
| Creators | HIEBERT, BRADLEY C |
| Contributors | Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.). Theses (Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.)) |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner. |
| Relation | Canadian theses |
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