Uncovering Colonial Legacies: Voices of Indigenous Youth in Child Welfare (dis)Placements

Abstract

In this thesis I examine how settler colonialism shapes child welfare (dis)placements. I use the term (dis)placement as a point of departure to understand the historical connection between the child welfare and residential school systems. Indigenous youth collaborators, who recently exited the child welfare system, contributed to this research through arts and storytelling. Their verbal and artistic testimonies attest to the degree that child welfare is part of larger historical and political processes including dispossession of land and resources, assimilation of Indigenous peoples, gendered violence, and violent indifference. I argue that youth resistance to dominant systems takes a distinct urban form and is a means of their survival that carries strong potential for change. This thesis highlights the value of a collaborative research praxis and contributes to broader debates on how Indigenous people experience colonialism and continuously create opportunities for transformation.