Living in Indigenous Sovereignty
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2021
Language: eng
Number of pages: 264
ISBN-13: 9781773632384
Description: "This book advances the concept of living in Indigenous sovereignty as an ontological and relational framework for settlers, particularly white settlers, who wish to initiate or deepen their decolonial/anti-colonial work while living on Indigenous lands occupied by the Canadian state. Here, living in Indigenous sovereignty refers to living in accordance with the understanding that we are on Indigenous lands which contain their own stories, systems of governance, relationships, laws, knowledges, protocols, obligations, and opportunities which have been understood and practiced by Indigenous peoples since time immemorial. Living in Indigenous sovereignty means understanding that our responsibilities and opportunities as settlers on these lands involve learning and placing ourselves in accountable and loving relationship with Indigenous lands, peoples, and sovereignty. Based on a completed dissertation, the book enacts accountability and embodies living in Indigenous sovereignty by centering the work and perspectives of Indigenous scholars, Knowledge holders, and activists regarding settler colonialism and decolonization. Thus, the theoretical and practice perspectives that point to pathways of living in Indigenous sovereignty are based largely on Indigenous sources. This work also features life stories/narratives of white settler activists for whom anti-colonial and decolonial work is a major life focus. These stories are intended to serve as inspiration and guidance for white settlers who wish to initiate or deepen their anti-colonial and decolonial work. Ultimately, this book aims to contribute to decolonial social change, particularly in Canada. I believe Fernwood would be a great fit as a publisher of this book due to its focus on confronting oppression and exploitation toward creating a more socially just world. Scholarship regarding frameworks for settler roles in decolonization has been historically sparse, although it has increased in the past decade (see complementary books below). Although most of the ideas in this book have been present in various forms in activist and Indigenous circles, the book will provide a deep and accessible exploration of living in Indigenous sovereignty and what this entails, as well as some of the tensions present in the work. Further, the approach of using extended life narratives of decolonial settler activists as a way to inspire others and illustrate the principles of the work in practice is something I haven&#x2019;t yet seen in book form."--