Community development at the Department of Indian Affairs in the 1960's : much ado about nothing
Date
1997-01-01
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
Type
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
This thesis tells the story of the Community Development Program (CDP) of the Department of Indian Affairs. The Program was initiated in Canada in the early 1960s during a time of international popularity for the community development approach, and a national sentiment that the federal government ought to do something to positively change the situation for Indian people in Canada. The Program is probably best remembered for the commotion that its young practitioners caused when they began to encourage community development on Canadian Indian Reserves. The question that guides the research asks whether or not the CDP was different from previous policies of the Department of Indian Affairs. The author asserts that the CDP was novel in its organization, the problem it sought to address, and the way in which it treated Indian people. Data were gathered through interviews with former employees of the Department of Indian Affairs and through archival research into the files of the Department and its former employees.The author uses the theoretical framework developed by Jurgen Habermas and adapted by John Forester to interpret both traditional Canadian policies directed towards Indian people and the Community Development Program.
Description
Keywords
Department of Indian Affairs, Community Development Program, Canada, policy, Native, Indian, Aboriginal
Citation
Degree
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Department
Sociology
Program
Sociology