William Wilson Jeffrey Denis Harvard University
While many studies have examined black-white relations and the incorporation of new immigrants into big cities, few recently have focused on indigenous-non-indigenous relations. This project investigates how First Nations, Métis and non-Native residents of a small town in Northern Ontario construct and negotiate boundaries and bridges in their daily lives. Initial observations reveal a paradox: high levels of inter-group marriage, friendship and collaboration appear to co-exist with pervasive prejudice and discrimination. This finding seems to violate the dominant paradigm in social science whereby ongoing inter-group contact should break down racial bias (Allport, 1954; Pettigrew & Tropp, 2006). To understand the mechanisms underlying this paradoxical situation, the investigator applies three research methods, including 18 months of participant-observation in local voluntary groups and community events, 120 in-depth interviews with area residents, and an innovative "photovoice" project (Wang et al, 1996) in which 12 First Nations, Métis and white residents were given cameras and asked to take and discuss pictures on the themes of "identity" and "boundaries and bridges." The results of this study will help illuminate the degree to which theories developed to explain race relations in other contexts (e.g., histories of slavery and segregation or immigrant exclusion) improve our understanding in this case or require revision. More broadly, the future of North America depends on the ability of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people today to repair their relationship, historically damaged by colonialism and forced assimilation policies. Insights from this study may have practical implications for improving group interactions and overcoming racism in settings well beyond Northern Ontario where indigenous and non-indigenous populations co-exist in similar historical contexts.
