Métis in Canada

History, Identity, Law and Politics

Edited by Christopher Adams, Gregg Dahl, Ian Peach
Contributions by Gloria Bell, Glen Campbell, Janique Dubois, Thomas Flanagan, Liam Haggarty, Laura-Lee Kearns, Darren O'Toole, Jeremy Patzer, Siomonn Pulla, and Kelly Saunders
Categories: History, Indigenous History, Law & Legal Studies, Indigenous Peoples & Colonial Law, Indigenous Studies, Political Science, Canadian History
Publisher: University of Alberta Press
Paperback : 9780888646408, 560 pages, May 2013
Ebook (EPUB) : 9780888647184, 560 pages, August 2013
Ebook (MobiPocket) : 9780888647191, 560 pages, August 2013
Ebook (PDF) : 9780888647221, 560 pages, August 2013

Description

These twelve essays constitute a groundbreaking volume of new work prepared by leading scholars in the fields of history, anthropology, constitutional law, political science, and sociology, who identify the many facets of what it means to be Métis in Canada today. After the Powley decision in 2003, Métis peoples were no longer conceptually limited to the historical boundaries of the fur trade in Canada. Key ideas explored in this collection include identity, rights, and issues of governance, politics, and economics. The book will be of great interest to scholars in political science and Indigenous studies, the legal community, public administrators, government policy advisors, and people seeking to better understand the Métis past and present. Contributors: Christopher Adams, Gloria Jane Bell, Glen Campbell, Gregg Dahl, Janique Dubois, Tom Flanagan, Liam J. Haggarty, Laura-Lee Kearns, Darren O'Toole, Jeremy Patzer, Ian Peach, Siomonn P. Pulla, Kelly L. Saunders.

Awards

  • Short-listed, The Alcuin Society Citations for Excellence in Book Design in Canada - Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada, Prose Non-Fiction 2014

Reviews

"[Métis in Canada] brings together a vastly diverse collection of essays, reflective of the multifaceted nature of the debates relating to Métis identifiy in Canada... Given the breadth of perspectives presented by the contributors, along with the text's overall contribution to discussions of Indigenous identity in Canada, it comes as no surprise that the editors are experts in Aboriginal policy.... Taken together, [Métis in Canada and "Métis": Race, Recognition, and the Struggle for Indigenous Peoplehood] shed new light on the intricacies surrounding not only intracommunity conceptions of Métis identify in Canada, but also longstanding, often problematic constructions of mixed-lineage and, by extension, Indigenous identities in alterity."

- Sarah MacKenzie

"The strong visual hierarchy is a highlight of this books’ interior typography, which has a refined, accomplished look to it. Overall, the book projects a quiet yet confident design."

- The Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada

"...the authors share the goal of working towards a more complex and nuanced understanding of 'Métis.' By looking at the Métis from a variety of perspectives, the chapters will certainly stimulate reflection and discussion.... [T]he themes the book examines will be of interest to scholars of Aboriginal studies across Canada."

- BC Studies

"The volume is notable for its efforts to capture the varied work that scholars across different disciplines are currently undertaking in the Metis past and present."

- Michel Hogue

#3 on McNally Robinson's Bestsellers list (Paperback Non-Fiction) for the week of June 9, 2013

"The 12 multidisciplinary essays here arose out of consideration of a key decision by the Supreme Court of Canada (R. v. Powley) that defined a ten-step test for Métis rights; how these rights play out in relation to that decision is elaborated in the four key sections implied in the title. There has not been a book this broad and deep concerning the Métis in over 20 years in Canada, so this provides a timely, informative grappling with recognition and affirmation of the Métis and their Aboriginal rights. Summing Up: Essential. All academic levels/libraries." G. Bruyere, Laurentian University, CHOICE Magazine, December 2013

Everyone knows what is meant by the term Métis, and the people themselves are defined exactly by what they are not. The editors put it succinctly: 'About the only elements that tie this diversity together are the facts of the Métis peoples' distinctiveness - from other Indigenous peoples and from the settlers - and their constitutional recognition as rights-bearing, indigenous peoples in Canada.' This University of Alberta Press selection chronicles the unique Métis contribution to the Canadian story. Holly Doan, Blacklock's Reporter, November 9, 2013 [Full review at http://bit.ly/1aRm4Vf]

"...these essays, by and large, are both informative and entertaining to read. The new scholars featured in this volume interrogate the sources with intelligence and vigor, and the result is a provocative and fresh portrayal of the Métis experience in Canada." Heather Devine, Western Historical Quarterly, Summer 2014