An Exploration into the Criminalization of Indigenous Men in Canada: CCDA through Hubbard's Documentaries

The criminalization of Indigenous men is a critical issue rooted in colonialism, systemic racism, and social inequality. This thesis explores the ways Indigenous men in Canada are criminalized through discursive practices that reflect and maintain colonial power relations. The research contextualizes a historical overview as this must first be acknowledged and understood before examining in/justice systems and Indigenous men (with an emphasis on First Nations men). This study, being mindful of doing culturally responsive research, then employs Anishinaabeg teachings through the Medicine Wheel alongside Critical Cultural Discourse Analysis (CCDA). Both stages are applied to, as the primary focus, Dr. Tasha Hubbard's documentaries Two Worlds Colliding (2004) and nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up (2019). Hubbard's documentary films provide space for Indigenous truth and storytelling and are analyzed questioning the authority of state and media institutions while also revealing the racism that supports and upholds Canada's justice system. Foucault's concepts of power/knowledge/truth/biopower are used as a theoretical framework to demonstrate how dominant settler narratives conceal, normalize, and justify systemic violence against Indigenous men. The research highlights narratives that counter preconceived ideas informed by stereotypes and biases while emphasizing Indigenous epistemologies and sovereignty. Finally, this study underscores the urgent need to critically examine the discursive construction of criminality and to encourage Indigenous-led storytelling as a tool of both resistance and truth-telling in the pursuit of justice. The criminalization of Indigenous men reflects broader patterns of colonial violence; therefore, it is critical that academic, legal, and media institutions be held accountable for their roles and that Indigenous voices continue to shape narratives of justice for the betterment of societal perceptions and relations with Indigenous men.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A. Critical Sociology

Level thesis:degree_level

Master

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Faculty of Social Sciences

Department dc:contributor.department

Department of Sociology

Grantor dc:publisher

Brock University

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Miriam Nowling

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Dr Lyn Trudeau

• SOCIAL SCIENCES
• LAW/JURISPRUDENCE
• Indigenous

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10464/20045

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:brocku.scholaris.ca:10464/20045