Annotated Bibliography
I wrote this annotated bibliography during my comprehensive exam preparation. Annotated bibliographies are helpful for the research process because meaning is personal. These are the meanings I took from each of these books a few years ago. I hope this list of books can help you start your learning journey.
Anderson, Chris. “Metis:” Race, Recognition and the Struggle for Indigenous Peoplehood. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2014.
Highly controversial and hotly debated, Anderson is required reading for discussions of Metis/metis/Métis identity. The author writes from the point of view of a Métis man who was raised in culture with family lineage well established in the Red River diaspora. Adamantly resisting the idea of ‘mixed’ heritage, the author lays out a case for identity and resistance of the Red River Métis people using court cases and sociological theories of race.
Anderson, Kim. Life Stages and Native Women Memory, Teachings and Story Medicine. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press,2011.
Life Stages is a decolonizing dialogue about gender history in Anishinaabe life cycles. This book is about changing roles and responsibilities of girls and women. Oral history is a crucial component. The balance between academic history approved by the academy and community-based research is a major contribution to the field.
Byrd, Jody. “The Transit of Empire: Indigenous Critiques of Colonialism.” The American Indian Quarterly 37, 1-2 (2013): 275.
Theoretical and methodical, this book explores how Indigenous people resist liberal multiculturalism. Transit refers to the relational existence of Indigenous people and the concept is expanded to question post-structuralism and post-colonial studies in order to theorize alternative methodologies to tackle contemporary challenges. Politics, culture and literature are connected by the concepts of transit, parallax and cacophony. This book is best read as a series of essays rather than a single argument.
Campbell, Maria. Halfbreed. New York: Saturday Review Press, 1973.
This book is a memoir of Maria Campbell’s young life, published at a time when Indigenous women were not represented in so-called Canadian literature. Written from a deeply personal place, the author does not ask the audience for pity. Her resilience shines through the page. In the larger debate over Metis/metis/Métis identity, this is a must read as academic treatises on the issue are not enough to cover the breadth of experience of our people.
Carter, Sarah. Capturing Women: The Manipulation of Cultural Imagery in Canada’s Prairie West. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1997.
Capturing Women is a well researched and cited academic history which examines how Indigenous women were represented in print during the last decades of the 1800s. Carter read archival documents, reports, newspapers and journals against the grain to highlight Indigenous women who had been otherwise overlooked. The main argument of the book is that representation and reality are separate concepts. However, representation of Indigenous women served to create and maintain a hierarchy of order in settler society.
Corntassel, Jeff et al. Everyday Acts of Resurgence: People, Places and Practices. Washington: DayKeeper Press: 2018.
Edited by a large team of Indigenous academics, this book is a compilation of poems, reflections, research questions and ideas. Students from the University of Victoria and the University of Hawai’I, Manoa came together to work with community for land reclamation and cultural revitalization. Grouped thematically, each chapter focuses on people, places and practices. Each contribution leaves the reader with an important, if unanswerable, question to think about.
Cote-Meek, Sheila. Colonized Classrooms: Racism, Trauma and Resistance in Post-Secondary Education. Winnipeg: Fernwood Publishing, 2014.
Focused on post-secondary classrooms, this book examines the experience of Indigenous students as they navigate colonial trauma in an academic setting. Written as a doctoral dissertation, this book relies heavily on quotes and theory at the beginning. The major contribution is the interview portions of the second half of the book. Indigenous students can see themselves reflected in the pages. Non-Indigenous educators learn how to avoid re-traumatizing Indigenous students in the classroom.
Coulthard, Glen Sean. Red Skin, White Masks: Rejecting the Colonial Politics of Recognition. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2014.
Highly academic and well cited, Coulthard lays out the argument for recognition of Indigenous rights outside of state institutions. Modern Indigenous activism is the main thrust of the book with a focus on the events following the 1969 White Paper. What sets this book apart is that it is couched in the language of Karl Marx and Frantz Fanon.
Deloria, Vine. God is Red. New York: Dell, 1981.
Foundational and ground-breaking in its time, Vine Deloria Jr., still resonates nearly forty years after the original publication. This book is a critique of Christianity with alternatives based in Indigenous worldviews. Part history, part contemporary the author posits thought experiments to illustrate arguments.
Howard, Adams. Prison of Grass: Canada From the Native Point of View. Saskatoon: Fifth House, 1975.
Howard Adams wrote about Metis/metis/Métis not long after the 1969 White Paper was released. His work is a history of relations between settlers and Métis. He connects Métis struggles to international colonialism. The impacts of colonialism are discussed as they relate to cultural, psychological and racial aspects of Métis life and history. The major contribution of this book is academic and personal history in combination during a time when such research was not widely circulated.
LaRocque, Emma. When the Other is Me: Native Resistance Discourse 1850-1990. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 2010.
Based in literature and history, this book traces the evolution of discourse related to Indigenous peoples to highlight how Indigenous and non-Indigenous writers perpetuate harmful misrepresentation. Additionally, the author includes resistance literature which created a contrapuntal space over time. This book is part history and all resistance.
Maracle, Lee. I Am Woman: A Native Perspective on Sociology and Feminism. Vancouver: Press Gang Publishers, 1996.
This book is essential reading for Indigenous students. Part prose, poetry, memoir, social critique and history, this book defies easy classification. Maracle’s writing style effectively personalizes domestic violence, residential school, the Indian Act and more. Each reader will find resonance with different aspects of this book.
Simpson, Audra. Mohawk Interruptus: Political Life Across the Borders of Settler States. London: Durham Press, 2014.
Mohawk Interruptus is an in-depth look at the question of membership in the Mohawk community at Kahnawa:ke. The author asks very tough questions of her community through interviews in conjunction with research into ethnohistory. Sovereignty, recognition and proper accounting of Indigenous history are the main claims made by the author. She goes on to outline how her people have resisted colonial attempts to erase Mohawk communities. The main contribution of this book is the service for community.
Simpson, Leanne. Dancing On Our Turtle’s Back: Stories of Nishnaabeg Re-Creation, Resurgence and a New Emergence. Winnipeg: Arbeiter Ring, 2011.
Using Nishnaabeg frameworks, Leanne Simpson’s goal is resurgence. Theoretical and foundational, this book introduces the reader to resurgence as balance, life stages, and personal as well as collective. Indigenous academics can cite this book as a source which prioritizes community, ceremony, story-telling, language revival and self-care as crucial aspects of research.
Simpson, Leanne. As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 2017.
This book builds from the framework established in Dancing on Our Turtle’s Back. The central question of this work is: what does Nishnaabeg grounded normativity look like? Gender, body sovereignty, anti-capitalism, land, and internationalism are just some of the methods of resistance the author tackles. Most importantly, this monograph proves that research and personal experience are intimately connected.
Smith, Linda Tuhiwai. Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. London: New York, 2012.
Originally published in 1999, this book has aged well with many academics still citing Smith’s work. The reason this book is effective is because the author examines the context in which research methodologies emerge. Control over methods is a form of reclamation and Smith offers examples of how to accomplish the task. Additionally, this book exists in an inter-disciplinary space which resonates internationally.
Vowel, Chelsea. Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Issues in Canada. Winnipeg: HighWater Press, 2016.
This monograph is a compilation of essays which address common misconceptions held by Canadians about Indigenous peoples. This book is not meant to be read cover to cover. Instead, this book is one scholar’s attempt to break down stereotypes in a relatable and helpful way. One of the most important aspects of this book is the carefully curated notes section at the end of each chapter. Readers can easily find more information on each of the themes. This book is a good resource to recommend to non-Indigenous allies.
Younging, Gregory. Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing by and About Indigenous Peoples. Edmonton: Brush Education, 2018.
Elements of Indigenous Style is a handbook for researchers working with community. Primarily aimed at non-Indigenous people, this guide is a meaningful read for Indigenous writers. Many introductory university or college courses include a style guide for reference as students learn to write in the academy. As a quick reference book, this monograph is well written and leaves room for future editions as the topics Younging brings up are discussed and expanded on.