Protests as Sites of Learning: A Case Study of the Sri Lankan Tamil and Anishinaabe Demonstrations in Canada.

This article examines social movements in Canada as important sites of learning, focusing on two 2009 case studies: Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora protests in Toronto and Indigenous land and water defence by Anishinaabe women from Beausoleil First Nation. Drawing on theoretical frameworks of social movement learning, the authors analyze how knowledge is sourced, transmitted, and shaped by participants' social identities within broader political, economic, and colonial contexts. The Tamil protests facilitated intergenerational learning about the Sri Lankan civil war and Tamil nationalism, while the Beausoleil land defence fostered cultural, spiritual, and political education rooted in Anishinaabe teachings and settler-Indigenous solidarity. The study highlights the complexity and diversity of learning processes in social movements, emphasizing their role in shaping ongoing political struggles and solidarities in Canada and beyond.