Alexander Dirksen, a proud member of Métis Nation BC, researcher and strategist chats with  Elizabeth about what it means to decolonize digital spaces and why it is so crucial to re-centre conversations about tech development through the lens of decolonization. 

Additional Resources

• Decolonizing Digital Space (Chapter 1) - this is the chapter written by Alexander Dirksen that is mentioned throughout this episode. The Citizenship in a Connected Canada book is available open access which means anyone can read it for free!
• In the episode Alexander mentions nation-to-nation relationships. You can learn more about it in this speech:  Realizing a Nation-to-Nation Relationship with the Indigenous Peoples of Canada (Wilson-Raybould).
• Turtle Island is used in this work to refer to the unceded territories of Indigenous Nations that transcend colonial borders.
• Decolonizing Digital: The Future is Indigenous from Animikii, an Indigenous-led tech firm. You can also find their podcast by following the link!
• Digital privacy law is being updated for the first time in decades, and it's imperative we get it right by Vass Bendar and Mark Surman provide relevant additional context about federal policy in this opinion piece.
• From the People is an online, Indigenous-led marketplace for Indigenous peoples that was established in response to the pandemic.
• MIT’s Indigenous Digital Delegation is an incredible convening of Indigenous leaders to discuss the digital age.

Check out www.polcommtech.ca for annotated transcripts of this episode in English and French.