‘Subjugated knowledges,’ a term coined by the French philosopher Michel Foucault, refers to information coming from people in underrepresented groups that is discounted by a powerful majority, which claims that these perspectives are inadequate or insufficiently developed.

Brock University linguist Jean Ntakirutimana is passionate about drawing out subjugated knowledges, both within the context of his own research and as part of wider projects with the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures.

“Community members are brimming with a wealth of talents and knowledge, always available to anybody willing to listen and learn,” says the Associate Professor. “I am always open to any opportunity to work with them, and my research has greatly benefited from the profuse generosity of community partners.”

Ntakirutimana is an affiliated member of Brock’s Social Justice Research Institute (SJRI). He is among some two dozen researchers, government organizations, community groups and others working together to draw out the subjugated knowledges of Niagarans of African descent and foreign-born persons.

The project, which is in its very early stages of planning, aims to collect information in three key areas: childhood and growing up; health literacy; and identity, connections and belonging.

“Voices that have been long excluded from the dominant knowledge framework will be heard through this initiative,” says Ntakirutimana, who shared the basic research outline during a talk at the St. Catharines Public Library Feb. 28.

“These voices will not only enrich public discussion and create original scholarship on a wide range of issues but will also contribute to insights and practical tools organizations can use to develop culturally responsive services and interventions,” he says.

Ntakirutimana says tapping into subjugated knowledges and understanding people’s lived experience enriches his own linguistics research. This is the case even if the subject matter of this community-based information “is not necessarily my area of specialization,” he says.

As an example, Ntakirutimana – who is a French language expert – refers to the experience of Francophone immigrants settling in the Francophone community of Welland.

“They speak French, but they speak other languages, too, and their varieties of French may not be the same as the local French dialect,” says Ntakirutimana.

“The Francophone immigrants are already struggling because they’re a minority in a majority of English speakers,” he says, adding that some newcomers also don’t feel they fit in with the Welland Francophone community, and they aren’t able to receive services in their mother tongue.

The children, who are also facing challenges in the new environment, often end up acting as translators during their parents’ medical or legal appointments, forcing them to take on an adult role, says Ntakirutimana.

“My strong connections with community partners allow me to approach immigrant language issues with an interdisciplinary lens. It provides a deeper insight into my research by reminding me that it should never be conducted in a vacuum, but should rather incorporate lived experience, from real people living in an intersectional ecosystem.” he says.

Ntakirutimana has had many years of working with almost a dozen community groups, involving them with the co-creation of knowledge and co-presenting research results at conferences and other events.

In particular, he has a strong connection with Sofifran, a Welland-based, non-profit community organization created in 2007 by French-speaking immigrant women living in the Niagara region and originating from various parts of the world.

Throughout the years, Ntakirutimana has co-organized more than 20 events with Sofifran, including conferences, exhibitions, performances, book launches, and book fairs, among others.

He also formed local and national partnerships when creating two experiential learning projects related to the 2022 Canada Games: the French Documentation and Terminology course he taught; and a French Internship Course.

When working with the community, Ntakirutimana says he is guided by the Community-Based Participatory Research principles, where community members are regarded as equal knowledge holders and creators, and should be actively involved in any research initiative involving them, according to the ethos of “Nothing about us without us,” he says.