Indigenous Scholarship

The 2018 Summer School in Contexts of Indigenous Culture

Indigenous Art

The Interdisciplinary Initiative (IDI) in Applied Indigenous Scholarship invites applications from all Graduate Students at Western University and its Affiliate Colleges to submit applications for our Summer School in Contexts of Indigenous Culture. The school will take place July 18-20 2018 and will involve cultural awareness activities, a community visit, and meaningful space for dialogue and relationship building among culturally knowledgeable trainers, local community members and school participants. Those interested should complete the form below by June 1, 2018 at 4 PM. Decisions will be made by June 15th. Please note we are able to accept only 40 participants. All invited applicants must commit to attend all three days (two half days and one full day) of the school.

Applied Indigenous Scholarship: Fostering Cultural Understanding

During consultation for Western University’s Indigenous Strategic Plan (ISP), its implementation forthcoming, the ISP Strategic Initiatives Committee undertook focus groups and sharing circles with various communities across campus. Despite the diversity of voices and perspectives represented in these meetings – students, faculty, administrators – a key resonating message related to the significant need and desire for cultural competency opportunities on campus. Many of our IDI’s activities currently respond to this request. 

In Canada, there are but a handful of universities who have undertaken the supportive systemic and social or ideological changes needed to foster Indigenous scholarship in meaningful ways. Led by Western’s Indigenous scholars, our IDI commits to setting the foundation from which Western can become a global destination for Indigenous scholarship. To achieve this goal, we bring together a broad network of interdisciplinary scholars and support services who will draw from their skills, capabilities and passions to make Western a place that fosters and supports inclusion, teaching excellence and research innovation in Indigenous scholarship.