Work

Framing Decolonization: Case Study of the Pan‐Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT This article considers the relationship between formal policy discourse and dynamics of decolonization. Initiatives of decolonization implicate the political status of Indigenous peoples, wherein peoples can be understood as agents or dependents within the state. Adapting Schneider and Ingram's model of social constructions, informed by the political sociology of policy instruments, and drawing upon Two‐Eyed Seeing, we theorize that agent‐frames lend support to decolonization, whereas dependent‐frames could undermine decolonization. To illuminate this approach, we assess the Pan‐Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. Applying interpretations of frames institutionalized in the text from diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities and scholars across Canada, data indicates that most references to Indigenous Peoples reflect a dependent‐ frame while also exposing “ambiguous” depictions of Indigenous agency within the confines of the settler‐state. Formal discourse institutionalized in policy plays a (inadvertent) role in the (re)production of (colonial) mindsets.

Source: Public Administration Review

DOI: 10.1111/puar.70153

Authors: River Doxtator, Jennifer Wallner, Lydia Zhou

Institution: University of Ottawa

Language: English

Topic: Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights

Subfield: Health

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Peace, justice, and strong institutions, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,250