Embodiment in an Indigenous Lit Classroom: Why I'm Over Discussion but Can't Get Enough of Research-Creation

Abstract

This article reflects on a course, ENGL 309: Indigenous Literatures (Literary Movements), taught at the University of Alberta in Treaty 6/ Métis Nation (Region 4) in 2018. My focus here is on the particular challenges brought about by the diverse identities and needs of the students— and by the core problem that the learning process of some at times renders the classroom uninhabitable for others. Over the years, this has led me to question whether dialogue and discussion, those core features of a liberal education, benefit everyone equally. Instead, I turn increasingly to creative research methods (also known in Canada as researchcreation1) as ways for students to respond to texts and to work through the issues that they raise.