共同生活 (Kyōdōseikatsu): in the Shadows of Witnessing

共同生活 (kyōdōseikatsu): In the shadows of witnessing by Ayumi Goto M.A., McMaster University, 2000 B.Sc., University of Alberta, 1996 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy In the School of Communication Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology © Ayumi Goto 2018 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY FALL 2018 Copyright in this work rests with the author. Please ensure that any reproduction or re- use is done in accordance with the relevant national copyright legislation. Approval Name: Ayumi Goto Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Title: 共同生活 (kyōdōseikatsu): In the shadows of witnessing Chair: Karrmen Crey Examining Committee: Assistant Professor, School of Communication Zoë Druick Senior Supervisor Professor, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology Annie Ross Supervisor Associate Professor, First Nations Studies Milena Droumeva Supervisor Assistant Professor, School of Communication Sophie McCall Internal Examiner Associate Professor, Department of English Monika Kin Gagnon External Examiner Professor, Communication Studies Concordia University Defence Date: August 28, 2018 ii Ethics Statement iii Abstract Following up on the thousands of pages collected from testimonies by residential school survivors and former employees between 2010 and 2015, The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRCC) presented 94 recommendations to Canadian society, effectively making a call for systemic changes across all forms of governance and organization. Their expressed concern was that Euro-colonial practices continued to systemically discriminate against and cause grievous harm to Indigenous people within the Canadian nation-state. The purpose of this thesis is to answer to their call, specifically, to examine both from within a post-secondary academic institution and beyond its epistemological parameters, how one might attempt to reshape one’s approaches to knowledge formation in trying to build more respectful relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Taking to heart Indigenous scholarship prioritizing relationships over object-centric pursuits of knowledge, the author draws upon her linguistic, cultural and political upbringing as a member of a Japanese and multi-Asian diasporic community to reach toward Indigenous artists, whose works compel their audiences to be widely socially inclusive, to remember Canada’s colonial past in addressing the colonial present, and to respect one’s elders and ancestors. Distinct relationships are established between the author and Cree multi-media artist, Cheryl L’Hirondelle, Siksika interdisciplinary artist, Adrian Stimson, and Tahltan performance artist and object maker, Peter Morin. Rather than adhering to a pre-set methodology, a mentoring connection with L’Hirondelle, a role model relation with Stimson, and a best friendship with Morin guide the author’s processes of coming to know. Witnessing their practices, the author explores becoming sonorous, performative, and tactile shadows to L’Hirondelle, Stimson, and Morin, respectively. Consequently, the narrative and epistemic organization of the author’s personal experiences and institutionalized learning scatter and are drawn upon so far as they contribute to the relationship at hand. Throughout the dissertation, critical questions are raised and performatively considered to: challenge settler-Indigenous binaries of knowledge formation; investigate the limits of the known and knowable; and, include unexpected others. The dissertation concludes with the suggestion that reconciliation and witnessing are practice-based, and that collective responsibility is an intersubjective regard for that which has been experientially gathered along the way. Key Words: Reconciliation; Indigenous/non-Indigenous relations; Relationality; Witnessing performance; Shadow; Collective Responsibility iv for Grace v Acknowledgments These acknowledgments are written on the very lands upon and through which this thesis was first imagined. I am deeply indebted to the human, animal, plant and ancestral presences of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. 大変なお世話になりましたです.とてもありがたいです. This dissertation would not exist without the stunning art and life practices of Cheryl L’Hirondelle, Adrian Stimson, and Peter Morin. Their respective work continues to world new political engagements, demonstrating creative courage and profound dedication to social and cultural inclusions. Through and amongst them, it is an honour to meet and develop friendships with so many artists, activists, thinkers, and community workers who inspire those in their midst. They include: Amy Malbeuf, Jordan Bennett, Steve Loft, David Garneau, Soleil Launiére, Jade Nasogaluak Carpenter, Olivia Whetung, Jessie Short, Michelle Lavallee, Stephen Foster, Michelle Smithson Smith, Mike Evans, Michelle Jacques, Tomas Jonsson, Jayce Salloum, Zool Suleman, Skawennati Fragnito, Jason Lewis, Jaimie Isaac, Leah Decter, David Khang, Emiko Morita, Amish Morrell, and Helena Martin Franco. I wish to extend a profound thank you to the amazing members of the dissertation committee: senior supervisor, Dr. Zoë Druick, and committee members, Dr. Milena Droumeva and Dr. Annie Ross. They each provided thoughtful political, intellectual, and creative feedback, which greatly enhanced the contents and presentation of this thesis. Dr. Druick’s steadfastness and rigour, Dr. Droumeva’s generative contemplations, and Dr. Ross’s deep friendship and close critical reading of the text, collectively generated a sense of intellectual collaboration, for which they are held in the highest regard. I am very grateful to Dr. Monika Kin Gagnon and Dr. Sophie McCall for taking the time to read and critically consider the ideas enclosed in this thesis. I wish to extend gratitude to friends and colleagues at Simon Fraser University whose own research projects have inspired me: Maggie Macaulay, Vincent Andrisani, Ayaka Yoshimizu, and Nawal Musleh-Motut. Thank you very much to Jason Congdon for all of administrative work behind the scenes and to Avital Cherniawsky for her remarkable copy-editing skills. I am continuously humbled and dazzled by my dear friends – collaborators and fellow co-conspirators – who teach me through their actions, words, and hearts: Juliane Okot Bitek, Cecily Nicholson, Tarah Hogue, Mark, Navarana, Noah, and Anaya vi Igloriorte, France Trépanier, Chris Creighton-Kelly, Bo Yeung, Charles Campbell, Julie Tamiko Manning, Andrea Fatona, and Amy Modahl. Deep gratitude is extended to my friends Anna Chin, Jasper Wellington, Sr. Scholastica Yiripare, Rachel Nash, and Cam Reid, who live far away but are always close by in spirit and care. This thesis is in part an outcome of all of the mentors in my life. They each create, think, and challenge with passion, audacity, and love. Thank you so much to Roy Miki, Shirley Bear, Haruko Okano, Louise Profeit-LeBlanc, and Sandra Semchuk for setting such shiny examples so that others might follow. Perhaps it would be strange to call Ashok Mathur, my heart/life partner, a mentor. However, I am constantly moved and motivated by his irrepressible political and poetical energy. His ongoing dedication to gather and learn, and to draw in those who may otherwise remain excluded, is profound. I am indebted to his father and mother, Parshottam and Perin Mathur, for Ashok’s capacity to care patiently and intensely in the lives of others. This dissertation is dedicated to all of the grandparents, fathers, mothers, siblings, and ancestors who have passed through my life. My grandmother, Naoe Kiyokawa was the unshakeable ground upon which we walked. My father, Tiger Goto was my first philosophy teacher and eventually, best friend. My mother, Kyoko Goto maintains the heartbeat of our family. Without my mother’s patient linguistic advice, and recollections of familial history and cultural practices, this thesis could not be written. My sisters, Naomi, Hiromi, and Nozomi teach me how to love, fight, and care with ferocity of spirit. This thesis is equally dedicated to the stewards of the land, who have lived and protected such vastness with indomitable dedication and power, especially in times of great political and social tumult. It is toward all of these relations, named and unnamed, including all of those have passed through, that I humbly present some first thoughts on how we might live with respect to one another. This study was funded in part by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council. The author takes full and sole responsibility for any miscommunications or errors that might arise in the writing. vii Table of Contents Approval ............................................................................................................................. ii Ethics Statement…………………………………………………………………………………iii Abstract ............................................................................................................................. iv Dedication…………………………………………………………………………………………v Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................. vi Table of Contents………………………………………………………………...…………….viii List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................... xi Glossary of Japanese Terms ........................................................................................... xii Pronunciation Guide .............................................................................................

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