In Common and Contested Ground, Theodore Binnema provides a sweeping and innovative interpretation of the history of the northwestern plains and its peoples from prehistoric times to the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

The real history of the northwestern plains between a.d. 200 and 1806 was far more complex, nuanced, and paradoxical than often imagined. Drawn by vast herds of buffalo and abundant resources, Native peoples, fur traders, and settlers moved across the region establishing intricate patterns of trade, diplomacy, and warfare. In the process, the northwestern plains became a common and contested ground.

Drawing on a wide range of sources, Binnema examines the impact of technology on the peoples of the plains, beginning with the bow and arrow and continuing through the arrival of the horse, European weapons, Old World diseases, and Euroamerican traders. His focus on the environment and its effect on patterns of behaviour and settlement brings a unique perspective to the history of the region.

Dr. Binnema entered the historical profession after teaching high school English and social studies for several years. He has been teaching at UNBC since 2000, where he now teaches in the fields of Canadian and United States history, aboriginal history, and environmental history. He has written several books that examine various aspects of environmental history, aboriginal history, and the history of science. Common and Contested Ground (2001) examines the human and environmental history of the northwestern plains of North America from AD 200 to 1806. With Gerhard Ens of the University of Alberta, he published The Hudson's Bay Company Edmonton House Journals, Correspondence, and Reports: 1806-1821 (2012). That book consists of primary documents and a long essay offering a new interpretation of the history of the northern plains and Athabasca region between 1806 and 1821. "Enlightened Zeal": The Hudson's Bay Company and Scientific Networks, 1670 to 1870" (2013), is the first book to examine the relationship between science and a major chartered monopoly over its entire lifetime. Dr. Binnema also co-edited two collections of original articles, New Histories for Old: Changing Perspectives on Canada's Native Pasts (2007) and From Rupert's Land to Canada (2001). He has also published many scholarly articles including articles in Environmental History, The Canadian Historical Review, Journal of the Early Republic, Western Historical Quarterly, and The Journal of Canadian Studies.

Theodore Binnema's profile page

• Winner, Clio Award (Prairies Region), Canadian Historical Association

'In the context of a new western history that challenges long-standing assumptions and that seeks to understand the roles and motivations of all participants in the great western drama, Binnema has done a fine job of examining the early history of the northwestern plains — Common and Contested Ground is an important, well-written, and nicely illustrated work.'

Oregon Historical Quarterly

'The scope and detail of Binnema's analysis is impressive — Binnema deserves congratulations for bringing [the world of the northwestern plains] alive to us in such an informative manner.'

Environmental History

'In this important, imaginative study, Binnema convincingly examines both the cultural and environmental complexities to flesh out a little-studied period in the history of the northwestern plains. He has created a model from which ethnohistories of other regions can be examined and their complexities better understood.'

Journal of American History

'Binnema provides a fascinating historical account — His work is a welcome and sophisticated study of the Northwestern Great Plains.'

Great Plains Quarterly

'Theodore Binnema has written an elegant and methodologically ambidextrous .new Indian history. of the northwestern plains of North America — By going beyond culture — actually by simply ignoring it — Binnema has freed himself to write what has turned out to be a refreshingly clear and precise history that spans no less than sixteen centuries, with the rapid movement of an Alberta clipper.'

H-West

'This is an important book that will set the terms of discussion for early Plains Aboriginal history for some time to come. Its weaving of human and environmental themes is particularly revealing, innovative, and important.'

B.C. Studies

'Common and Contested Ground is a fine example of the benefits on an environmental approach to Aboriginal history. Indeed, Binnema is to be commended for explaining why the seemingly simple grasslands environment had such a complex human history.'

Canadian Historical Review

'This fine book represents and excellent example of how to tie the human experience to the limits and opportunities presented by their environment.'

H-Environment