Making kin: Indigenous relationality in promoting public and political knowledge about religion

Religion is a problematic category when understanding the different sociopolitical dynamics that impact and influence settler Canadian identity and society. However, against the modern western struggles around religion, like that of religion and non-religion, anti-Indigenous racism and Indigenous elimination remain a constant and unifying factor of settler colonialism. Yet Indigenous knowledges are framed by what is called religion through relationality, which informs situated knowledges, the ethos and world views, and the governance of distinct yet related nations/peoples who are human and other-than-human. The problem is that discussions on the intersectional nature of religion and relationality fall short of a critical treatment. This article outlines the issues of settler colonialism in perpetrating Indigenous dispossession, and asks scholars of religion to focus on how 'making kin' supports a critical disruption to settler-colonial definitions of religion that promotes public and political understandings of Indigenous relational knowledges. La religion est une categorie problematique lorsqu'il s'agit de comprendre les differentes dynamiques sociopolitiques qui ont un impact et une influence sur l'identite et la societe des colons canadiens. Cependant, face aux luttes occidentales modernes autour de la religion, comme celle de la religion et de la non-religion, le racisme anti-autochtone et l'elimination des Autochtones restent un facteur constant et unificateur du colonialisme de peuplement. Pourtant, les savoirs autochtones sont encadres par ce que l'on appelle la religion a travers la relationnalite, qui informe les savoirs situes, l'ethos et les visions du monde, de meme que la gouvernance de nations/peuples HYPERLINK http://distinct.es distinct.es mais HYPERLINK http://xn--apparent-i1a.es apparente.es HYPERLINK http://humain.es humain.es et autres qu' HYPERLINK http://humain.es humain.es. Le probleme est que les discussions sur la nature intersectionnelle de la religion et de la relationnalite ne font pas l'objet d'un traitement critique. Cet article souligne les problemes poses par le colonialisme de peuplement dans la perpetuation de la depossession des Autochtones et demande aux specialistes de la religion de se concentrer sur la maniere dont le fait de faire de la parente soutient une perturbation critique des definitions coloniales de la religion favorisant la comprehension publique et politique des savoirs relationnels autochtones.

Automated summary

Religion is a problematic category in understanding the sociopolitical dynamics that impact settler Canadian identity. The article discusses the intersectionality between religion and relationality and highlights the need for a critical treatment. It also emphasizes the importance of recognizing and promoting public and political understanding of Indigenous relational knowledges.