A Search for Decolonizing Place-Based Pedagogies - An Exploration of Unheard Histories in Kitsilano, Vancouver, B.C.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet

This paper examines how place-based pedagogies can open dialogue about colonization and the “dark matters” of environmental education by engaging non-Indigenous adults in decolonizing discussions. Drawing on an action research project with Kitsilano Neighbourhood House in Vancouver, it describes three workshops with seven adults who investigated community histories, while remaining willing to address colonization, decolonization, and reconciliation. The study recommends integrating arts-based education, indigenizing and decolonizing approaches, and anti-racism education.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction and Issue Theme

Personal and Professional Background

Key Tension: Using “Dark Matters”

Theoretical Framework

A Search for Decolonizing Place-Based Pedagogies: An Exploration of Unheard Histories in Kitsilano Vancouver, B.C. Elizabeth Henry, University of British Columbia, Canada Abstract This paper explores the ways that place-based pedagogies can facilitate dialogue on colonization, or some of the “dark matters” of environmental education, specifically by engaging non-Indigenous adults in decolonizing dialogues. I share findings from an action research project with Kitsilano Neighbourhood House in Vancouver, British Columbia. Working with seven adults, I facilitated a series of three workshops, in which I invited participants to learn forgotten or unheard Aboriginal, immigrant, and settler histories in their neighbourhood. Participants primarily chose to research the histories of Euro-Canadian settlers; however, they were willing to talk about colonization, decolonization, and reconciliation. I suggest integrating practices from arts-based education, indigenizing and decolonizing pedagogies, and anti-racism education to further engage learners indecolonizing their place-based learning. Résumé Cet article explore les façons dont les pédagogies basées sur le lieu facilitent le dialogue sur la colonisation, ou quelques uns des « sujets sombres » de l’éducation à l’environnement, plus spécifiquement en engageant les adultes non-autochtones dans des discours décolonisateurs. Je partage les résultats d’un projet de rechercheaction avec le Kitsilano Neighbourhood House à Vancouver, C.B. Travaillant avec sept adultes, j’ai facilité une série de trois ateliers dans lesquelsj’invitais les participants à apprendre des récits oubliés ou inconnus des autochtones, des immigrants et des colons de leur quartier. Les participants ont choisi principalement d’étudier les histoires des colons euro-canadiens; toutefois, ils étaient ouverts à discuter au sujet de la colonisation, de la décolonisation et de la réconciliation.Je suggère l’intégration des pratiques provenant de l’éducation basée sur les arts, les pédagogies de ladécolonisation et de l’éducation anti-raciste afin d’engager les apprenants dans unedécolonisation de leur apprentissage basé sur le lieu. Keywords: decolonizing pedagogies, place-based education, decolonization, reconciliation, colonization, Indigenous, non-Indigenous The theme for this issue, Dark Matters: Turning Toward the Untouched, the Unheard, and the Unseen in Environmental Education , immediately resonated with my past experiences as an environmental educator. My parents worked for 18 Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 19, 2014 national parks across the Prairies and the Yukon, instilling in me a love for placebased learning. I pursued this passion and became an environmental educator, first in parks and then in non-profit organizations. However, I escaped many of the challenging or “dark matters” of environmental education, until I began my undergraduate degree in Ontario. There I delved into the environmental justice field. This learning journey continued for nearly a decade while I worked with several non-profits in Vancouver as a climate change educator. Through these professional experiences I came to recognize the naïve, often racist, and Eurocentric assumptions I had made in my previous jobs as a park interpreter and outdoor educator. The shift in my understanding of environmental education occurred through attending environmental justice workshops, where I had dialogues with Indigenous and racialized environmental leaders about racism and colonization within mainstream environmental education. Through these dialogues I began to see myself as a “visitor-settler”1 on multiple Indigenous territories, as I learned more about local Indigenous communities and my own Western European heritage (Irish, French, German, English, and Swedish) . Weaving together my various academic and professional experiences, I came to graduate school with a passion for finding a way to do place-based learning that

FAQs

What is the focus of the paper’s research question?

It focuses on how place-based pedagogies can facilitate dialogue on colonization and the “dark matters” of environmental education through decolonizing conversations with non-Indigenous adults.

What did the author do in the action research project?

The author worked with Kitsilano Neighbourhood House and facilitated three workshops with seven adults, inviting them to research forgotten or unheard Aboriginal, immigrant, and settler histories.

What key tension does the author highlight about the term “dark matters”?

The author questions whose perspective is used when labeling concepts as “dark matters,” noting the term’s historical association with racism and colonization and the unresolved meaning of “dark.”

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet