Indigenous Wellbeing

Psychologists have long established the importance of identity as a source of wellbeing and motivator of collective action. A major gap within this research is the lack of consideration for the intrinsic relationship between Indigenous identity and land. In this course, students learn how the well-being of Indigenous peoples is intimately linked to the well-being of their homelands. Students examine this topic using interdisciplinary approaches from social psychology, cultural psychology and Indigenous studies. Discussions include: the relationship between Indigenous land, identity and well-being; how settler colonialism has sought to undermine those relations; and the actions Indigenous peoples are taking to restore, reconnect, and care for their homelands.