Although we may not always know how best to approach sensitive issues in the classroom, our responsibilities to our students are fairly straightforward. By enrolling in our classes, students essentially sign a contract. They will read, we will provide expertise, all will discuss, and all will learn, at least in theory. In this politically charged…

This paper focuses on the importance of narrative beginnings to narrative inquiry, arguing that an examination of narrative beginnings is essential to positioning the researcher within the research. Through a series of personal poems, I unpack the significance of my own autobiographical beginnings from a narrative perspective, and from my proposed…

With a poem by Dr. Leanne Simpson, Anishinaabe scholar and storyteller, at its foundation, this article discusses the impact on Métis filmmaker Cara Mumford of creating a short film based on the poem, while exploring connections between women, language, and land within Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg territory. The author's epiphany about the…

This special issue explores the relationship between education and empowerment and considers whether it still is valid to assume that school provides the key for people in the lower social strata in America to achieve material well being. Taken together, the essays, poetry, and studies of this issue explore the experience of social marginality in…