Assembling Unity
Indigenous Politics, Gender, and the Union of BC Indian Chiefs
Description
Established narratives portray Indigenous unity as emerging solely in response to the political agenda of the settler state. But unity has long shaped the modern Indigenous political movement. With Indigenous perspectives in the foreground, Assembling Unity explores the relationship between global political ideologies and pan-Indigenous politics in British Columbia through a detailed history of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs. Sarah Nickel demonstrates that the articulation of unity was heavily negotiated between UBCIC members, grassroots constituents, and Indigenous women’s organizations. This incisive work unsettles dominant political narratives that cast Indigenous men as reactive and Indigenous women as apolitical.
Reviews
"Assembling Unity offers a great deal to scholars interested not only in the Canadian context but more broadly in Indigenous politics and Indigenous feminisms. Nickel’s conceptual framework stands as a model to inspire other scholars who seek to use insights from Indigenous studies in order to reframe old debates and frameworks."
- Paige Raibmon
A rich examination of the work Indigenous political leaders and grassroots organizers did to negotiate unity as part of a longer history of political activism in the context of continued settler colonialism.
- Lianne C. Leddy
Assembling Unity is an important book. Sarah Nickel’s timely study of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs was shortlisted for the Canadian Historical Association’s 2020 Best Scholarly Book in Canadian History Prize and was recently announced the winner of this year’s CHA Indigenous History Book Prize. Both accolades are much deserved.
- Chelsea Horton