Challenging the Relationship Between Settler Colonial Ideology and Higher Education Spaces - A Study on Indigenous Students' Experiences

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man

Analyzing and evaluating the structure of settler colonialism, this article argues it remains embedded in the U.S. educational system. It links structural forms of settler colonial power to the lived experiences of Indigenous students, foregrounding their voices to show how pervasive and harmful settler colonial ideology operates in higher education. Participants depict how colonial ideology is replicated through policies and practices, including curriculum choices, shaping an ongoing influence on their lives.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background: Settler Colonialism in Societal Structures

Education as a Mechanism of Replication

Qualitative Study of Indigenous Students

Methodological Frameworks (TribalCrit and Dimensions of Settler Colon)

Significance and Outcomes

Advancing Postcolonial and Indigenous Politics

UC Berkeley Berkeley Review of Education Title Challenging the Relationship Between Settler Colonial Ideology and Higher Education Spaces Permalink [https://escholarship.org/uc/item/55p0c597](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/55p0c597) Journal Berkeley Review of Education, 8(2) Author Masta, Stephanie Publication Date 2019 DOI 10.5070/B80037547 Peer reviewed [eScholarship.org](eScholarship.org) Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Available online at [http://eScholarship.org/uc/ucbgse_bre](http://eScholarship.org/uc/ucbgse_bre) Challenging the Relationship Between Settler Colonial Ideology and Higher Education Spaces Stephanie Masta 1 Purdue University Abstract In this article, I analyze, evaluate, and problematize the structure of settler colonialism and demonstrate how it is a process that remains entrenched in the U.S. educational system. I build on previous work done on settler colonial ideology by linking structural forms of settler colonial power to the lived experiences of Indigenous students, using their voices to describe how pervasive and harmful settler colonial ideology is in practice. From their descriptions of the replication of colonial ideology within policies and practices in higher education, the participants create a compelling image of the ongoing dominant influence of settler colonial power in their lives. Challenging settler colonial ideology is not just about providing a more accurate historical record of what occurred in the U.S. Rather, challenging settler colonial ideology reaffirms the value and importance of Indigenous people in the U.S. Keywords: settler colonialism, Indigenous education To understand the experiences of Indigenous peoples in the U.S., one must also understand how prevalent settler colonialism is within societal structures. Settler colonialism is a structural process meant to replace the local population with the settler population (Wolfe, 2006) . After its inception, the U.S. quickly became a multi-racial settler colonial state. White settlers used settler colonial ideology to justify the exclusive control over the dispossession and exploitation of Indigenous lands, which continued as societal structures aimed to institutionalize the replacement of Indigenous peoples and communities (Glenn, 2015; Patel, 2016) . Education is one such structure that maintains, reinforces, and replicates colonial ideology through curriculum, policies, and practices, both historically and in the present day (Leonardo & Singh, 2017) . One example is the curricula used in research methods courses, which often includes only western-centered ideas and perspectives, excluding Indigenous views and research practices. This article acknowledges the role of settler colonialism in educational structures by presenting data from a qualitative study on the experiences of Indigenous students in postsecondary education. I analyze participants’ reflections on the relationship between settler colonial ideology and the education system. I bring to this work a strong connection to my 1 Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Stephanie Masta, College of Education, Purdue University, 100 N. University Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907. Email: [szywicki@purdue.edu](szywicki@purdue.edu)[ ](szywicki@purdue.edu)I would like to acknowledge Cara Kinnelly, Laura Zanotti, Elena Coda, and Antonio Syson who provided ongoing feedback and support of this work. Berkeley Review of Education Vol. 8 No. 2, pp. 179–193 180 Masta participants as an Indigenous scholar and someone who experiences ongoing settler colonization in the educational system. The outcomes of this study engage the ongoing battle against the effects of settler colonialism for Indigenous people, particularly as work advancing postcolonial theories rarely acknowledges the ways in which settler colonialism permeates present-day societal structures. As Smith (2012)

FAQs

What central relationship does the article examine?

The article examines how settler colonial ideology is connected to spaces and structures in higher education.

How does the author support the argument?

It uses qualitative data based on Indigenous students’ reflections on their educational experiences.

Why does the article frame settler colonialism as a continuing process?

Because the analysis shows colonial ideology is replicated through policies, practices, and curriculum, shaping ongoing dominant influence in students’ lives.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man