ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that racialized discourse informs and limits the creation of cultural identity in the classroom, thereby impacting student success. The chapter addresses the issue of racialized discourse as a microaggression in Nunavut schools through the lens of Timothy Stanley’s (2014) antiracism framework. The history of colonialism in Nunavut has ruptured family and community continuity. As a result, the Nunavut education system is under pressure to address the traumatic past and move towards greater Inuit autonomy. For change to occur, the systematic and social conditions that impact teaching practices and student performance need to be addressed. However, the current educational discourse in Nunavut lacks a critical understanding of how the history of colonialism has created a deeply polarized binary of Inuit and “Qallunaat” (non-Inuit) identity that positions culture in an “either/or” dichotomy. As a result, conversations about education reform often become taut across racialized boundaries. The chapter concludes that by examining racialized discourse through the lens of microaggression, Nunavut educators can work towards becoming more culturally competent by increasing their racial-awareness.
