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Abstract
The focus of this dissertation is the mental health experiences of Aboriginal people in Montreal as they interface with health policy, and lack thereof, for this population.
Drawing on anthropological fieldwork from Montreal, Eastern Quebec, and Ontario, this thesis endeavours to unravel the jurisdictional tapestry that Aboriginal clients must negotiate when seeking services in Montreal. Using an ethnographic methodology, this project provides an understanding of the ordering of health services for Aboriginal clients from street-level to policy offices.
This thesis draws on three theoretical areas (theories of illness, aboriginality, and public policy) to explicate four themes that emerge from the data. Analysis moves along a continuum between the illness experience and the macro-social determinants of politics and bureaucracy that impact the health of the individual as well as support and organize systems of care.
Discussion of Theme #1 (evolution of mental health and wellness categories in health theory, policy and practice) and Theme #2 ( the culture concept in health policy) demonstrates that despite the progressive evolution of concepts in health theory and policy, Aboriginal people generally do not find services in Montreal that provide culturally-sensitive, holistic care. Discussion of Theme #3 (barriers to wellness created by jurisdiction) argues that jurisdictional barriers prevent clients' access to even the most basic and rudimentary services and that such barriers can actually disable and increase distress. Discussion of Theme #4 ( Aboriginal-specific services) looks at the pros and cons of creating an Aboriginal-specific health centre in Montreal.
Together, these four themes show that understanding Aboriginal people in Montreal requires contextualizing their embodied experience within the colonial history and institutional racism which characterizes many healthcare interactions, and clarifying the bureaucracy that complicates the search for well-being. Montreal's Aboriginal problematic is located in a system characterized by entrenched bureaucracy, jurisdictional complexity and injustice, these elements mapping onto Aboriginal reality with serious repercussions for individual identity and well-being.
Hearing the voices of Aboriginal people in Montreal as they seek out care for mental health problems requires the resolution of jurisdictional and policy clashes that currently silence their suffering. This thesis endeavours to advance this crucial social agenda.
