Pasts, presents and futures of Truth and Reconciliation work in Indigenous education

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Abstract

Truth and Reconciliation processes have emerged in many parts of the world as responses to historical and ongoing injustices experienced by Indigenous peoples. While commissions differ in mandate, scope, and political context, they share a common aspiration: to make visible the truths of colonialism and create conditions for more just relationships in the future. Education sits at the heart of this work. Schools, universities, and teacher education programmes have often functioned as instruments of assimilation and colonial control. At the same time, education remains one of the most important sites through which healing, resurgence, revitalisation, and transformation might occur.

This special issue emerged from a simple but important question: In what ways can the education sector respond meaningfully to Truth and Reconciliation processes to improve Indigenous education? The contributions come principally from Canada, Norway, and Sweden, while also drawing on broader circumpolar and Indigenous contexts. Taken together, they reveal that reconciliation is neither a singular policy initiative nor a destination that can be reached. Instead, the authors collectively argue for deeper transformations in how education understands knowledge, relationships, authority, learning, and responsibility.

The analysis presented here is informed not only by the individual contributions, but also by a collective conversation among authors following the submission of their papers. Bringing together researchers and educators working across Canada, Norway, and Sweden, the discussion created an opportunity to reflect across contexts, identify shared challenges, and consider how diverse Truth and Reconciliation efforts might speak to one another. Importantly, the conversation revealed that many of the tensions identified in individual papers, between policy and practice, institutional change and community resurgence, inclusion and transformation, were not unique to particular settings but resonated across contexts.

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