When I first considered extrapolating ideology from Taiaiake Alfred’s discourse on ‘self-conscious traditionalism’ (Alfred, 2009), I was struck by the irony that I was returning to ideology that I had vehemently opposed when discussing Indigenous knowledge preservation, yet now I was using part of the same rationale to argue that a responsible form of capitalism is, indeed, achievable:

I will put forward the notion of a ‘self-conscious capitalism’, one based on the premise that organizations operate from within a framework that recognizes its responsibility to Indigenous peoples, Indigenous laws and governance, land usage treaties, environmental responsibility (including sustainability practices), and one that is open to the idea of a partnership with Indigenous communities for shared economic development and prosperity, that takes into consideration current socio-political and economic factors in the organization’s local area (Davidson, 2016, November 3, emphasis in original).

Perhaps focusing now on decolonization from the perspective of organizational behaviour is appropriate, to move forward.  How does the organization respond to the idea of ‘self-conscious capitalism’?  Is this a viable theory worth developing in response to reconciliation discourse?

References

Davidson, C.M. (2016, November 3). Re: Cindy – On Mayo: A queer argument for reconciliation? [Online discussion forum comment].  Retrieved from: https://onq.queensu.ca/d2l/le/69911/discussions/threads/1495166/ViewPostInContext?postId=4689173#post4689173

Alfred, T. (2009). Peace, power, righteousness: An Indigenous manifesto (2nd ed.). Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.