Exclusion, Representation, and Identity: A Critical Introduction to Knowledge Production and Self-Perception in Canadian International Development Studies Syllabi

Abstract

In 1974, Trent University founded Canada's first international development studies (IDS) program. Since then, the number of IDS programmes and graduates across the country have increased substantially with the country now being home to 24 programmes at the undergraduate and college level. At the same time, however, calls for transformation from both IDS scholars and students to promote a more diverse curricula have swept through these programmes on a national and international scale. As a result, this research critically examines the exclusions and representations in first- and second-year introductory Canadian IDS reading lists through the following research questions which guide the thesis' various chapters: RQ 1. How are themes of colonialism, neocolonialism, and decolonisation presented in introductory Canadian IDS reading lists? If and/or when these themes are mentioned, where in the reading list are they presented and what can be gleaned from this information? RQ 2. How do Canadian IDS programmes present Canada in first- and second-year reading lists? To do this, this research draws inspiration from previous syllabi reviews that have analysed social science content through postcolonial, feminist, and Indigenous perspectives. The research uses syllabi and more specifically the assigned materials found within their reading lists as the primary subject of analysis with a total of 59 syllabi from 11 different universities and colleges across six provinces and five academic years being analysed. Furthermore, as this research pertains exclusively to the knowledge and epistemologies IDS reading lists aim to impart, a discursive framework is used to guide the research. In addition to this, each chapter builds upon the work of other IDS scholars who have called for transformations in IDS curricula. Chapter 2 explicitly builds upon the work of Uma Kothari (2019), Olivia Rutazibwa (2019), and Ilan Kapoor (2023) to assess the inclusion of colonial and decolonial histories within introductory Canadian IDS reading lists while Chapter 3 builds upon the work of Canadian IDS scholars Farokh Afshar (2005) and John Cameron (2016) who call for IDS syllabi to better incorporate Northern development needs, North-South linkages, and negative ethical obligations.