A Canadian Identity Shift: Degenociding Canada Through Indigenous Soundscapes
Author: Van Armenian
Abstract
Decolonization actions are growing. Reconciliation calls are being trumpeted in Canada. Yet, change is too tempered according to the unwilling hosts on these lands: Indigenous Peoples. Three recent investigations – the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (1996), the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2015), and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (2019) – all highlight the pressing need for more profound remedial action. In particular, the national inquiry unequivocally implicates Canada in historical and ongoing acts of genocide.
In this article, I delve into the concept of degenociding to confront this troubling legacy of genocide in Canada. Degenociding proposes a ground-up change to Canadian society leading to substantive shifts in the way Canadians self-identify and how they meet and challenge both deeply ingrained power dynamics and colonial legacies. Preliminary examples of teaching Indigenous musics and cultures in Canadian schools are presented as promising tools to start the process of degenociding Canada.
Resume
Van Armenian is a Ph.D. candidate in the University of Ottawa’s Interdisciplinary Research in Music program and is a member of the Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC). Grounded in the belief that music promotes healing and social cohesion, he draws on decades of experience as a professional violinist (mainly with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal), director of a summer music academy in Armenia, and volunteer work as founder of a Canadian charity. His thesis explores how Indigenous musics and the stories they tell can foster a more ethical Canadian identity. Van argues that providing independent spaces to these perspectives in K-12 education are de-genocidal acts that will lead to honouring children’s dignity, providing quality education, and countering inherited settler racism in Canadian society.
Recommended citation
Van Armenian, “A Canadian Identity Shift: Degenociding Canada Through Indigenous Soundscapes” (2025) 12:2 Can J Hum Rts 105, online: <https://cjhr.ca/download/3201/?tmstv=1754408534&v=3202>.