Synopses & Reviews
At the end of the nineteenth century, Indigenous boarding schools were touted as the means for solving the andldquo;Indian problemandrdquo; in both the United States and Canada. With the goal of permanently transforming Indigenous young people into Europeanized colonial subjects, the schools were ultimately a means for eliminating Indigenous communities as obstacles to land acquisition, resource extraction, and nation-building. Andrew Woolford analyzes the formulation of the andldquo;Indian problemandrdquo; as a policy concern in the United States and Canada and examines how the andldquo;solutionandrdquo; of Indigenous boarding schools was implemented in Manitoba and New Mexico through complex chains that included multiple government offices with a variety of staffs, Indigenous peoples, and even nonhuman actors such as poverty, disease, and space. The genocidal project inherent in these boarding schools, however, did not unfold in either nation without diversion, resistance, and unintended consequences.and#160;Inspired by the signing of the 2006 Residential School Settlement Agreement in Canada, which provided a truth and reconciliation commission and compensation for survivors of residential schools, This Benevolent Experiment offers a multilayered, comparative analysis of Indigenous boarding schools in the United States and Canada. Because of differing historical, political, and structural influences, the two countries have arrived at two very different responses to the harms caused by assimilative education.
Review
andquot;As scholars in history, anthropology, environmental studies, nursing, and biology, among others, continue to explore indigenous food restoration as a location of sovereignty and cultural reclamation, the case studies featured in Coming Full Circle provide important community examples. Crawford Oandrsquo;Brienandrsquo;s collaboration with these communities highlights the significance of academic/Native community partnerships and results in accounts of poignant and meaningful health solutions.andquot;andmdash;Laurie Arnold, Western Historical Quarterly
Review
andquot;This is an important book.andquot;andmdash;Eric Anderson, Pacific Northwest Quarterly
Review
andldquo;Andrew Woolfordandrsquo;s outstanding book offers fresh contributions to the field of Indigenous and settler colonial studies. His comparison of the Indian boarding schools in the United States with their Canadian counterparts yields new insights into both. He provides a sophisticated and probing analysis of whether these schools constituted genocidal policies and practices. This is a top-notch piece of scholarship that should enrich our scholarlyandmdash;and nationalandmdash;debates for decades to come.andrdquo;andmdash;Margaret Jacobs, author of White Mother to a Dark Race and A Generation Removed
Synopsis
A collaboration between Native activists, professionals, and scholars, Re-Creating the Circle brings a new perspective to the American Indian struggle for self-determination: the returning of Indigenous peoples to sovereignty, self-sufficiency, and harmony so that they may again live well in their own communities, while partnering with their neighbors, the nation, and the world for mutual advancement. Given the complexity in realizing American Indian renewal, this project weaves the perspectives of individual contributors into a holistic analysis providing a broader understanding of political, economic, educational, social, cultural, and psychological initiatives. The authors seek to assist not only in establishing American Indian nations as full partners in American federalism and society, but also in improving the conditions of Indigenous people world wide, while illuminating the relevance of American Indian tradition for the contemporary world facing an abundance of increasing difficulties.
Synopsis
Coming Full Circle is an interdisciplinary exploration of the relationships between spirituality and health in several contemporary Coast Salish and Chinook communities in western Washington from 1805 to 2005. Suzanne Crawford Oand#8217;Brien examines how these communities define what it means to be healthy, and how recent tribal communityand#8211;based health programs have applied this understanding to their missions and activities. She also explores how contemporary definitions, goals, and activities relating to health and healing are informed by Coast Salish history and also by indigenous spiritual views of the body, which are based on an understanding of the relationship between self, ecology, and community.
and#160;Coming Full Circle draws on a historical framework in reflecting on contemporary tribal health-care efforts and the ways in which they engage indigenous healing traditions alongside twenty-first-century biomedicine. The book makes a strong case for the current shift toward tribally controlled care, arguing that local, culturally distinct ways of healing and understanding illness must be a part of contemporary Native healthcare.and#160;Combining in-depth archival research, extensive ethnographic participant-based field work, and skillful scholarship on theories of religion and embodiment, Crawford Oand#8217;Brien offers an original and masterful analysis of contemporary Native Americans and their worldviews.
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About the Author
LaDonna Harris (Comanche), founder and president of Americans for Indian Opportunity, is an activist and leader on Native American rights and political issues. Stephen M. Sachs is professor emeritus of political science at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis. Barbara Morris (Comanche and Cherokee) is dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of government at the University of Redlands.