A decade ago, the first edition of this defining book explained what it meant to be Settler — acknowledging that Canada has been forged through ongoing violence, displacement, and assimilation of Indigenous communities and Nations — and argued that accepting this identity is an important first step towards changing relationships with Indigenous Peoples.

The national conversation about settler colonialism has advanced significantly since that time, thanks to Indigenous struggles that have resulted in high-profile official apologies and inquiries into the devastating inequity between Indigenous and Settler lives in Canada. However, this progress is not enough — many of the same problems persist due to the underlying inequities at the core of Canadian identity, politics, and society.

In this revised second edition, Battell Lowman and Barker reflect on the term’s changing, more nuanced, and continued importance. Touching on the rise of right-wing nationalism, the power and limitations of social media, and ten years of federal Liberal government, this new edition of Settler considers the successes and failures of Settler Canadians in supporting decolonization and charting our next steps towards transformative change.

Emma Battell Lowman is a Settler Canadian originally from the overlapping territories of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe Peoples, near Niagara Falls, Ontario. Emma holds a PhD in sociology from the University of Warwick (UK) and an MA in history from the University of Victoria and has worked and lectured for colleges and universities across Canada and the UK. Her work focuses on Indigenous-Settler histories in British Columbia, settler colonialism, Indigenous resurgence, and decolonization in North America, and the history of crime and punishment in Britain.

Emma Battell Lowman's profile page

Adam Barker is a Settler Canadian, born and raised in the territories of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe Peoples in what is presently Hamilton, Ontario. He is a researcher, educator, and activist on settler colonialism, racism, and decolonization. His passion for confronting colonialism and supporting Indigenous liberation was sparked by visits to Six Nations of the Grand River as part of the Indigenous Studies Program at McMaster University. Adam holds a PhD in human geography from the University of Leicester and an MA in Indigenous Governance from the University of Victoria.

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“Both callous and empathetic approaches to indigenous dysfunction have always focused on the Indian ‘problem.’ And yet, settler colonialism as a mode of domination is fundamentally constituted by the unequal relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous collectives. This book finally focuses on the real ‘problem.’ It was hidden in plain sight all along: the settler.”

Lorenzo Veracini, associate professor of history and politics, Swinburne University of Technology, author of Settler Colonialism: A Theoretical Overview