Outside Looking In: Resisting Colonial Discourses of Aboriginality

Using postcolonial theory, this article examines the ways in which the staff and members of the board of directors of Outside Looking In (OLI), a youth development through arts- and leisure-based program for Aboriginal youth in Canada, respond to discourses about Aboriginality. Based on interviews with OLI staff and board members, field notes, and the review of archival documents, we argue that OLI staff and board members encounter three dominant discourses: hip-hop is not an Aboriginal activity, Aboriginal youth should learn through mainstream forms of education, and Aboriginal peoples are inherently flawed. We show, however, how OLI exemplifies Bhabha's (1994) notion of hybrid third spaces because it reflects Aboriginal youth's contemporary cultural interests in hip-hop, it integrates kinesthetic education into Eurocentric learning regimes, and its participants return the colonial gaze at OLI's annual performance. OLI exemplifies how leisure activities can be used to challenge colonial discourses of Aboriginality in Canada.