Congratulations to Brontë Slote (BA ’24) on receiving the Faculty of Social Sciences Dean’s Undergraduate Award for Excellent Writing. Her winning paper, “Loss of Dogs, Loss of Life: The Destruction of Inuit Identity and Culture through Colonial Sled Dog Policies,” was nominated by Assistant Professor of Political Science Liam Midzain-Gobin.
Slote’s essay analyzes colonial policies surrounding the treatment of sled dogs in the Canadian Arctic during the mid-1900s. The paper sheds light on how these policies, driven by Eurocentric ideas of private property ownership and assimilation, disrupted Inuit-qimmiit relations, directly contributing to the destruction of Inuit identity and culture.
“I was passionate about this topic because it was an intersection of my interests, drawing from my minor in Political Science while also tying in knowledge gained from my background in Critical Animal Studies and Canadian Studies,” says Slote. “It serves as a powerful example of overlapping oppressions wherein colonialism and speciesism come together to affect both human and non-human members of a shared community.”
Slote feels fortunate that her Political Science courses focused on developing critical thinking and research skills, which she says helped her learn how to craft a well-written argument.
In POLI 4P37, she adds, “I had the opportunity to participate in a peer review activity where I not only improved my writing skills through feedback from my classmates but also gained insights into the peer review process that academic papers undergo before publication.”
Midzain-Gobin says he was thrilled to nominate Slote for the writing award because her essay went “over and above” what is typically seen in undergraduate courses.
“Slote’s essay draws on primary source material from the Qikiqtani Truth Commission and provides a rigorous analysis of Inuit-qimmiit relations and settler colonialism,” he says. “The paper is also wonderfully written. Simultaneously accessible and richly detailed, the clarity of the prose serves to highlight the analytical insight that Slote brings.”
