This paper provides theoretical insights into Aboriginal educational and social transformation
in Canada from an historical perspective. For almost a century, “decolonization” has
been the most effective, and yet most commonly deployed conceptual tool in the
writings on Aboriginal education. As an alternative to the decolonization paradigms,
this paper suggests that postcolonial theory provides a more comprehensive, yet flexible
conceptual framework to the understanding of historical and genealogical intricacies of
Aboriginal education in Canada. In the process, theoretical underpinnings, questions, and
situations inspired by the experiences of comparative colonialisms (such as the non-settler
colonialisms) are discussed in conjunction with Canada’s Aboriginal education.