Lab members, Teddy Consolacion introduced Harlan Pruden and Ryan Stillwagon to discuss the evolution of their relationship as Indigenous and settler scholars working together at the nexus of reconciliation and public health research.
British Columbia Centre for Disease Control hosts public health (grand) rounds to encourage new ways of thinking, introduce new or updated ideas, generate discussion, and in some cases debate around important public health issues.
“The BCCDC Grand Rounds serves as a platform for exchanging knowledge and engaging in dialogue on key public health issues to enhance practice and promote population health and wellbeing,” said Naveed Janjua, the Executive Director, Research of UBC at BCCDC. “In this presentation, Harlan and Ryan introduced the Two(Spirit)-Eyed Seeing approach, highlighting its potential as a collaborative knowledge-generation process between Indigenous and settler scholars in public health. This approach aims to advance reconciliation by fostering meaningful research partnerships and integrating Indigenous Ways of Knowing.”
Recap of this presentation: Relational Accountability: stories of food insecurity told by Two-Spirit and Queer Indigenous people living on Coast Salish territory (or Vancouver)
A core component of a Two(Spirit)-Eyed Seeing approach – a theoretical orientation that can be widely applied to public health work – is the active and ongoing process of relational and accountable knowledge making between Indigenous and settler public health practitioners. A Two (Spirit)-Eyed Seeing approach breathes life into the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation 94 Calls to Action through research, or what is called “reconcile(a)ction,” or to “work in a good way.”
In this talk, Harlan Pruden and Ryan Stillwagon discuss the evolution of their relationship as Indigenous and settler scholars working together at the nexus of reconciliation and public health research. We describe a recent mixed-method case-study on food insecurity among 14 Two-Spirit and Indigenous people living on Coast Salish territory (or Vancouver) conducted by Stillwagon, with Pruden’s mentorship. We offer reflections on how a Two(Spirit)-Eyed Seeing approach continues to guide this work, other collaborations, and invite conversations from healthcare practitioners on how they might implement this approach in their work.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe what a Two(Spirit)-Eyed Seeing approach is within public health work
- Demonstrate the application of a Two(Spirit)-Eyed Seeing approach in action through work on Two-Spirit and Indigenous queer food insecurity
- Promote and foster a community of practice at the BCCDC around Two(Spirit)-Eyed Seeing