Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to search

History Native American

Métis in Canada

History, Identity, Law and Politics

edited by Christopher Adams, Gregg Dahl & Ian Peach

Publisher
The University of Alberta Press
Initial publish date
May 2013
Category
Native American, Indigenous Peoples
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780888646408
    Publish Date
    May 2013
    List Price
    $69.99
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9780888647184
    Publish Date
    Aug 2013
    List Price
    $49.99

Add it to your shelf

Where to buy it

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.

About the authors

Christopher Adams is Rector of St. Paul's College in Winnipeg and an adjunct professor at the Asper School of Business and at the University of Winnipeg. He holds a PhD in political science from Carleton University, and teaches graduate courses in business and politics at University of Winnipeg and University of Manitoba.

Christopher Adams' profile page

Gregg Dahl has had a long career in policy analysis for provincial, territorial, and federal governments. He is a proud descendant of a Half-breed family that lived in St. Paul’s parish in the Red River Settlement. He lives in Ottawa.

Gregg Dahl's profile page

Ian Peach, formerly Dean of Law at the University of New Brunswick, is currently a consultant with KTA Inc. He has had an extensive career with federal, provincial, and territorial governments, as well as in academia and the private sector. He lives in Fredericton.

Ian Peach's profile page

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

Editorial Reviews

"...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

"...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

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]

"[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."

Canadian Literature

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

"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."

Histoire Sociale / Social History

"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

"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."

Other titles by

Other titles by

Related lists