A Critical Discourse Analysis of Indigenization in Saskatchewan's Undergraduate Nursing Programs

The nursing academy in Canada, motivated by the release of Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action in 2015, has declared support for and commitment to Indigenization. This study, framed by the historical context of colonialism in Canadian healthcare and nursing education, aimed to understand the current state of Indigenization within undergraduate nursing programs in Saskatchewan. I explored three areas of inquiry: how strategic plans define Indigenization, staff experiences and practices in implementing it, and how these discourses and practices perpetuate or transform existing power structures. With Spivak's theory of the deconstruction of marginality as the overarching theoretical framework, I examined the strategic plans of three major post-secondary institutions and their respective undergraduate nursing programs using Fairclough's dialectical-relational approach to critical discourse analysis. I also interviewed a total of seven nursing staff members from the three programs to gain an understanding of their practices of Indigenization. The study identified four key constructs of Indigenization within the discourse of the province of Saskatchewan's nursing education strategic plans: Indigenous inclusion, relationship, reconciliation, and decolonization. A critical finding is that presenting these four constructs as interchangeable diminishes their unique, albeit interconnected roles in achieving Indigenization goals. The research further shows how nursing programs are centering marginalized Indigenous Knowledges and systems but also reveals that racism remains a barrier to Indigenization. The study emphasizes the importance of explicitly defining Indigenization and its goals to deconstruct power dynamics and practices within nursing programs, and to continuously examine racism as a persistent issue in nursing education. The study encourages the nursing academy to adopt a decolonial lens in its everyday Indigenization efforts, which will bring about transformation of the academy.