colonial mind in post-secondary education, The

McGill Journal of Education, Spring 2002 by Paticia J Vickers

The belief of superiority over the other that exists in colonialist and academic society is transgenerational in that the behaviours continue from one generation to the next without analysis, evaluation, and transformation at the personal and institutional level. Family therapist, Virginia Satir (1988) outlines closed family systems and relates these systems to beliefs related to behaviours that are passed from generation to generation.

These beliefs include:

* People are basically evil and must be continually controlled to be good.

* Relationships have to be regulated by force or by fear of punishment.

* There is one right way, and the person with most power has it.

* There is always someone who knows what is best for you (p. 132).

Satir (1988) goes on to state that these beliefs "reflect the [closed] family's perception of reality" (p. 132). She outlines the rules to support these beliefs as: (a) "Self-worth is secondary to power and performance"; (b) "Actions are subject to the whims of the boss" and; (c) "Change is resisted" (p. 132). This definition of a closed family system is applicable to academic society and to the colonialist mind in Canada for in both societies there is the will to control the other for the benefit of self. The self in this system is not in a place of peace or rest; indeed, the self in the closed or oppressive system is always in need of improvement.

Satir (1988) goes on to define the open system: (a) "Self-worth is primary; power and performance, secondary"; (b) "Actions represent one's beliefs"; (c) "communication, the system, and the rules all relate to each other" (pp. 132-133). The shift from a closed system to an open system requires a change process. In this educated change process, defining the earlier relationships as dysfunctional, self-defeating, closed, unbalanced, delusional, disrespectful, or whatever term is appropriate, comes before working towards new relationships that will lead to personal enlightenment, respect for the other, and transformation.

In family psychotherapy, the first step to an open family system is to pay attention to the conflict and the beliefs and values that support that conflict, to identify and accept emotions as an integral part of the self, to recognize that emotions are an important dynamic in self-analysis, to dialogue with the other in a respectful way regarding conflicting realities, to examine beliefs in relation to behaviours and finally to exercise the will to change.

Freedom from oppression in academic society is similar to family therapy in the transformation of generational patterns that are oppressive and offensive. Transformation requires education concerning the dynamics of oppression so that individuals can: (a) acknowledge that the system is closed and oppressive; (b) identify the behaviours that support oppression, that is, their personal contribution to the continuation of oppression through their behaviour with self and others; (c) evaluate their belief concerning personal worth in relation to self, others, and work; (d) evaluate their belief concerning power, and (e)access spiritual and psychological teachings that support personal transformation. Only through bringing to consciousness the unconscious beliefs that support oppression can change and transformation begin; also, only through practise of immediacy and the will to change and connection with others in the will to emerge from oppression to freedom can individual transformation begin.