The widespread failure of so many interventions in First Nations and Inuit communities across Canada requires an explanation. Applying the theoretical and methodological rigour of experimental social psychology to genuine community-based constructive change, Donald Taylor and Roxane de la Sablonnière outline new ways of addressing the challenges that Aboriginal leaders are vocalizing publicly. To date, the decolonization process in Canada has led to programs that focus on the struggling individual. However, colonization was and still is a collective process and thus requires collective solutions. Rooted in years of research, teaching, and experience in First Nations and Inuit communities, the authors offer necessary solutions. They contend that survey research can be uniquely applied as a means to initiate constructive community change, demonstrating how their intervention process uses such research to foster positive social norms by feeding the results back to the community. Ultimately, Towards Constructive Change in Aboriginal Communities outlines how field research can be used to give a voice to First Nations and Inuit community members and serve as a platform for constructive social change.

Donald M. Taylor is professor in the Department of Psychology at McGill University.Roxane de la Sablonnière is associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the Université de Montréal.

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“Towards Constructive Change in Aboriginal Communities represents an insightful analysis stemming from years of research conducted by Donald Taylor and Roxane de la Sablonnière. Through an innovative approach based, on some of the most solid theoretical and conceptual foundations in social psychology, they challenge the status quo and cast doubt on current practices.” Ann M. Beaton, Canada Research Chair in Intergroup Relations, School of Psychology, Université de Moncton