The Sociological Imagination, Critical Thinking, and Their Promises: The Attawapiskat Housing Crisis Northern ON (2011) Attawapiskat housing crisis considered worse conditions than in Third World countries demand for Canadian government funding day-to-day experiences of individuals (private troubles) found that $90 million was provided to them in 2006 this problem challenged Canadian values “What should be done?” LO 4

The Sociological Imagination, Critical Thinking, and Their Promises: The Attawapiskat Housing Crisis Mills: get “unstuck” by using a quality of mind (the sociological imagination) to contextualize events in order to explain them in a larger social context the explanation as to how money was spent focused on the actions of particular individuals or groups Result : First Nations people were accused of mismanaging money; gov’t accused of failing to do their jobs well what would Mills argue? explanation lacks imagination LO 4

The Sociological Imagination, Critical Thinking, and Their Promises: The Attawapiskat Housing Crisis using a sociological imagination: the housing crisis is embedded in a broader social context (social relationship between First Nations people (ethno-racialized) & gov’t (social institution) Constitution Act of 1867 authorizes gov’t to deliver services to First Nations people Critical thinking based on a balance of concepts and observations reveals that their were conditions for spending the money LO 4

The Sociological Imagination, Critical Thinking, and Their Promises: The Attawapiskat Housing Crisis First Nations people had no say as to how money was spent relevant background information showed events before 2011 contributed to the crisis decision: $90 million granted by the Canadian gov’t was inadequate result: a) leaders and other communities & organizations spoke for Attawapiskat b) members threatened civil disobedience, called on United Nations, media (collectively responding to private troubles) LO 4