Established narratives interpret the drive for Indigenous unity solely
as a phenomenon that emerged in response to the political agenda of
the settler state. But the evolving and multifaceted concept of unity
has long shaped the modern Indigenous political movement. Through a
detailed history of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), one of
Canada’s leading Indigenous political organizations, Assembling
Unity explores the relationship between pan-Indigenous politics in
British Columbia and global political ideologies. Situating Indigenous
perspectives on governance firmly in the foreground of her study,
Sarah Nickel demonstrates that while unity has been an enduring goal
for BC Indigenous peoples, its articulation was heavily negotiated
between UBCIC members, grassroots constituents, and Indigenous
women’s organizations. She draws on oral interviews, newspaper
articles, government documents, and UBCIC records to expose the
uniquely gendered nature of political work, as well as the economic
and emotional sacrifices that activists make. Assembling Unity offers
new insights into the evolution of political movements, the concept of
unity in politics, and gendered political expressions. In the process,
this incisive work unsettles dominant Western and patriarchal
political ideals that cast Indigenous men as reactive and Indigenous
women as invisible and apolitical.
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Indigenous Politics, Gender, and the Union of BC Indian Chiefs
Product details
ISBN
9780774838009
Published
2021
Edition
1. edition
Publisher
University of British Columbia Press
Language
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Author