A Complex Culture of the British Columbia Plateau
Early hunter/gatherer societies have traditionally been considered basically egalitarian in nature. This assumption, however, has been challenged by contemporary archaeological and anthropological research, which has demonstrated that many of these societies had complex social, economic, and political structures. This volume considers two British Columbia Native communities – the Lillooet and Shuswap communities of Fountain and Pavilion – and traces their development into complex societies. The...
What Do We Know About the Inuit? (What Do We Know About?)
by , Alexander
Far more than a bibliographic account of the major works in Canadian Studies, Interdisciplinary Approaches to Canadian Society provides a broad examination of the state of this growing field of study. Each chapter stresses the importance of the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches which have come to characterize Canadian Studies. Also, in an unprecedented collaborative effort, almost all the chapters are jointly authored by anglophone and francophone scholars. The works on Quebe...
Focusing on the causes and extent of the Depression of the 1930s and its impact on a wide range of governmental policies, Bryce describes the department's increasing involvement in the formation and conduct of economic policies. The department was involved in events ranging from the collapse of the gold standard in 1931, to the possible default of the governments of the western provinces, to the introduction of federal unemployment and housing policies, to the founding of the Bank of Canada. Br...
In Producing Predators, Michael D. Wise argues that contestations between Native and non-Native people over hunting, labor, and the livestock industry drove the development of predator eradication programs in Montana and Alberta from the 1880s onward. The history of these anti-predator programs was significant not only for their ecological effects, but also for their enduring cultural legacies of colonialism in the Northern Rockies. By targeting wolves and other wild carnivores for exterminati...
This innovative study reveals the creative world of a Native community. Once seminomadic hunters and gatherers who traveled by horse wagon, canoe, and dog sled, the Dene Tha of northern Canada today live in government-built homes in the settlement of Chateh. Their lives are a distinct blend of old and new, in which traditional forms of social control, healing, and praying entwine with services supplied by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, a nursing station, and a Roman Catholic church. Many old...
The documentaries produced by the National Film Board of Canada, an institution profoundly woven into Canada’s cultural fabric, not only influenced cinematic language, but their stunning portrayals of the landscape shaped our perception of the environment and our place in it. Screening Nature and Nation examines how Canadians have engaged with these films and how the depictions of the land and its people have reflected the prevailing attitudes of the times. In the years following the establishme...
Multicultural Social Work in Canada
Multicultural Social Work in Canada is divided into two sections. Section one outlines the knowledge and skills required for effective multicultural practice. Chapters in this introductory section discuss such topics as culturally competent social work with individuals, families, and communities; social policy; working with people who immigrated to Canada; and working in the context of racial plurality in diverse communities of Canadian society. Section Two contains personal narratives of soc...
As the largest class action suit in Canadian history, the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (2007-2015) had a great impact on the lives of Aboriginal survivors across Canada. In a rare account exploring survivor perspectives, Anne-Marie Reynaud considers the settlement's reconciliatory aspiration in conjunction with the local reality for the Mitchikanibikok Inik First Nations in Quebec. Drawing from anthropological fieldwork, this carefully crafted book weaves survivor experiences...
Encompassing millions of hectares of globally rare coastal rainforest, the Great Bear Rainforest in coastal British Columbia is home to ancient trees, rich runs of salmon, and abundant species, including the elusive white “spirit bear.” The area also supports small human communities, particularly First Nations. Once slated for clear-cut logging, large areas were protected in 2006 by the signing of one of the world’s most significant and innovative conservation agreements. Tracking the Great Bea...
Exploring how Indigenous media has flourished across Canada from the 1990s to the present In the early 1990s, Indigenous media experienced a boom across Canada, resulting in a vast landscape of film, TV, and digital media. Coinciding with a resurgence of Indigenous political activism, Indigenous media highlighted issues around sovereignty and Indigenous rights to broader audiences in Canada. In Producing Sovereignty, Karrmen Crey considers the conditions—social movements, state policy, and...
Inuit Stories of Being and Rebirth (Contemporary Studies on the North)
by Bernard Saladin d'Anglure
The small island of Igloolik lies between the Melville Peninsula and Baffin Island at the northern end of Hudson Bay north of the Arctic Circle. It has fascinated many in the Western world since 1824, when a London publisher printed the narratives by William Parry and his second-in-command, George Lyon, about their two years spent looking for the mythical Northwest Passage. Nearly a hundred and fifty years later, Bernard Saladin d'Anglure arrived in Igloolik, hoping to complete the study he had...
Race and Racism
According to reliable forecasts, by the year 2016, visible minorities will comprise 20 per cent of the Canadian population; the proportion of people of colour to whites is already higher than that in some metropolitan centres. At a time when governments across Canada are seeking information and guidance on issues of Race and Racism, this balanced and thoroughly up-to-date collection of essays is a vital contribution to the field. "Race and Racism" brings together critical contributions from the...
Reconciling and Rehumanizing Indigenous-Settler Relations: An Applied Anthropological Perspective presents a unique and honest account of an applied anthropologist’s experience in working with Indigenous peoples of Canada. It illustrates Dr. Nadia Ferrara’s efforts in reconciliation and rehumanization, showing that it is all about recognizing our shared humanity. In this self-reflective narrative, the author describes her personal experience of marginalization and how it contributed to a more i...
On February 27, 1976, Inuit Tapirisat of Canada president James Arvaluk made a presentation to the Government of Canada that contained the first formal call for the creation of a new territory to be known as Nunavut. This is the life story of Arvaluk, from his childhood at a residential school in Igloolik to his time at CBC Radio to his significant political career. Arvaluk dedicated his public life of service to the cause of social justice for Inuit and the creation of Nunavut.
Hidden in Plain Sight
The acclaimed and accessible Hidden in Plain Sight series showcases the extraordinary contributions made by Aboriginal peoples to Canadian identity and culture. This collection features new accounts of Aboriginal peoples working hard to improve their lives and those of other Canadians, and serves as a powerful contrast to narratives that emphasize themes of victimhood, displacement, and cultural disruption. In this second volume of the series, leading scholars and other experts pay tribute to th...
Northern Communities Working Together
The unique historical, economic, and social features of the Canadian North pose special challenges for the social economy – a sector that includes nonprofits, co-operatives, social enterprises, and community economic development organizations. Northern Communities Working Together highlights the innovative ways in which Northerners are using the social economy to meet their economic, social, and cultural challenges while increasing local control and capabilities. The contributors focus on the sp...
How do countries come to view themselves as being ‘multicultural’? Us, Them, and Others presents a dynamic new model for understanding pluralism based on the triangular relationship between three groups — the national majority, historically recognized minorities, and diverse immigrant bodies. Elke Winter's research illustrates how compromise between unequal groups is rendered meaningful through confrontation with real or imagined outsiders. Us, Them, and Others sheds new light on the astonishing...
When the Lincoln Alexander Parkway was named, it was a triumph not only for this distinguished Canadian but for all African Canadians. The Journey from Tollgate to Parkway looks at the history of blacks in the Ancaster-Burlington-Hamilton area, their long struggle for justice and equality in education and opportunity, and their achievements, presented in a fascinating and meticulously researched historical narrative. Although popular wisdom suggests that blacks first came via the Underground Rai...