The IPEA Study Centre publishes and collaborates on an ongoing basis on a variety of publications related to its subjects of interest. Find out more about these publications and other content produced as part of these research projects.
Support for Collective Entrepreneurship Among Indigenous Youth: An Account of an Experience of Indigenization
By Émilie Fortin-Lefebvre (Université du Québec à Montréal), Karine Awashish (Coop Nitaskinan) and
Natasha Blanchet-Cohen (Concordia University), 2023
This article focuses on how to re-“concile” support for entrepreneurship in an Indigenous context based on the case study of StartUp Nations, a collective entrepreneurship support program for First Nations youth in Quebec. Based on a decolonial qualitative approach allowing the valorization of people’s points of view according to their own cultural framework, this article shows how the pedagogical approach and the theoretical content of the program have been adapted. The actions of re-“conciliation” can be summarized in six actions taken by StartUp Nations to respond to the needs and aspirations of young people, as well as to the realities of First Nations.
Keywords: Entrepreneurial support; Indigenous peoples; Collective entrepreneurship; Youth
Indigenous Entrepreneurship and Organizational Tensions: When Marginality and Entrepreneurship Meet
By Émilie Fortin-Lefebvre (Université du Québec à Montréal) and Sofiane Baba (Université de Sherbrooke), 2021
This article explores how marginality influences Indigenous entrepreneurship through tensions that emerge from the constant threat of seeing Indigenous cultures’ disappearance. Based on a qualitative study in Quebec, this article theorizes a process that explains how the context of marginality influences Indigenous entrepreneurship. Four concurrent dynamics provide insight into the realities of Indigenous entrepreneurship. This article paves the way for new lines of research on Indigenous entrepreneurship, the micro-foundations of tensions, and the link between emotions and cognition in managing these tensions.
Keywords: Indigenous entrepreneurship; Marginality; Organizational tensions; Indigenous communities
Indigenous Entrepreneurship, Marginal Ontologies and Sustainable Development Goals
By Émilie Fortin-Lefebvre (Université du Québec à Montréal) and Sofiane Baba (Université de Sherbrooke), 2020
Indigenous Business Support Services: A Case Study of the Quebec Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Canada
Par Émilie Fortin-Lefebvre (Université du Québec à Montréal) et Sofiane Baba (Université de Sherbrooke), 2020
Support services—also known as accompaniment practices and advisory services—are essential for the development of small businesses. In terms of support services specific to Indigenous businesses, the literature is rather silent. Yet, one can expect that the recent and growing market-related entrepreneurial trend in Indigenous communities will generate increasing accompaniment needs in those contexts. The objective of this research is to better understand the entrepreneurial ecosystem and its current synergy, as well as identifying the challenges of Indigenous entrepreneurship. To do so we rely on a qualitative methodological approach, focusing on the Indigenous entrepreneurial ecosystem in Quebec, Canada. Overall, our research highlights the need to adapt support services to Indigenous- related entrepreneurial issues. This research paves the way for a broader discussion related to how local governments, economic development organizations, funding agencies, and business support services organizations can work together for a comprehensive economic development strategy within Indigenous contexts.
Mots-clés : Aboriginal entrepreneurship; Indigenous entrepreneurship; Indigenous ontology; Indigenous worldview; Sustainable entrepreneurship