Lost culture of Aboriginal children (The Toronto Star, 05-Nov-2011) -
Adoption and foster homes as an aspect of assimilation - this short video and article about a lawsuit launched by Aboriginal adults who were removed from their homes and placed in non-Aboriginal care. By removing their families and access to traditional ways of life, it becomes clear how critical access to culture (and participation in culture) is to the process (and success) of colonization.
When discussing economic impacts of events such as the 2008 financial crisis, it seems difficult to imagine the connections of culture (ideas about the changed nature of communications (and by extension, transactions, etc) seem more direct). However, as shown so clearly through Canada’s historical and contemporary colonial process, primary economic goals are achieved not through a concentrated or solely economic-focused agenda, but through treatment and use of culture as a tool to create opportunities for control (Aboriginal peoples in Canada) and/or create illusions of cultural climates that are unstable, fractured, and in a ‘fixed’ state of crisis (the financial crises of the last 20 years). The universality and functionality of culture merge seamlessly into the processes of economic achievement, carrying importance to those administering these goals only when economic negotiation is imminent.
Lesson learned: Cultural strategists need not apply.
A short article about a journalist finding a story about Marshall McLuhan in THIS Magazine’s latest issue. (this.org).
After spending weeks talking (ha) about communication and language, I was happy to celebrate by attending Broken Pencil’s annual Canzine fair on Sunday. Zinesters from far and wide participate, setting up their goods at tables, and telling the world their stories (real and imagined, and even mixes of the two) through words and drawings.
Though I love zines and all the lovely people who are brave (and artful!) enough to create these pockets of awesome on a regular basis (are you picking up on my jealousy?), it’s important to stay critical. I had a great time at Canzine AND I would like to link to a great piece by a zinester who has some important (and articulate) issues.
http://www.brokenpencil.com/canzine-toronto
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zines
(And a shameless shout out to one of my most favourite zine makers, http://littlegardens.tumblr.com/)