Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 8-13-2020 1:30 PM Fanning the Flames of Disaster: The Role Colonialism Plays in the Impact of Wildfire on Indigenous People in Northern Alberta Alana K. Kehoe, The University of Western Ontario Supervisor: Pennesi, Karen., The University of Western Ontario A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the Master of Arts degree in Anthropology © Alana K. Kehoe 2020 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Kehoe, Alana K., "Fanning the Flames of Disaster: The Role Colonialism Plays in the Impact of Wildfire on Indigenous People in Northern Alberta" (2020). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 7370. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/7370 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Abstract This research contributes to the anthropology of disaster, offering an ethnographic account of the impact of wildfire on Indigenous people in northern Alberta. The vulnerability created by remote environmental locations is increased by social, historical, and economic circumstances. Based on ethnographic data including participant observation and interviews collected over 3 months of fieldwork in the summer of 2019, I argue that colonialism, assimilation policies, racism and structural violence increase vulnerability of Indigenous people and communities to the impacts of wildfire. By looking at wildfire situations holistically this study supports arguments for decolonization and other policy changes that would reduce the vulnerability of Indigenous people in remote areas to disasters.