American Indian Politics and the American Political System

by David E. Wilkins

As the original peoples of North America, tribal nations stand in a distinctive historical, political, and legal position in relation to state and national government. American Indian Politics is the first comprehensive study to analyze the structures and functions of American Indian governments (including Alaska Native communities) and the unique legal and political rights these nations exercise internally. David E. Wilkins expertly situates the 562 federally-recognized Native nations (and non-recognized groups) in historical context, while paying heed to the unique territorial and cultural rights that make this such a volatile field of study. Wilkins demonstrates that American Indian politics is a mixture of tribal government interacting with other polities, multiple layers of citizenship, indigenous activism and interest group activity, economic development, and media. New To This Edition The second edition incorporates fresh census data, thorough discussion of the critical electoral changes in the 2000 and 2004 national elections, and contemporary data on President Bush's first and second terms. The new edition also explores the effects of recent changes in U.S. Senate and House personnel and state legislation on Indian rights and the state-tribal relationship.

Genres: Nonfiction

416 pages, Paperback

First published August 23, 2001

Reviews

[Matt Sautman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wilkins work reads more like a textbook than as an academic text written for other academics. As a result, American Indian Politics and the American Political System at times reads like a survey of Native American political history. For someone who does not have as much knowledge of this history as they feel that they should, this makes for a useful resource, but the text doesn’t carry the intellectual charge as work that more explicitly engages with postcolonial/decolonial theory.

[Michelle Boyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview for those beginning with American Indian politics, the history of federal Indian law, etc. I was given this book back in 2011 when I first began studying American Indians. It serves to spark and interest and briefly begins to explain things to those just entering Federal Indian law--or those that are just curious. I would recommend it for beginners, but eventually you will need to branch out to case specific studies.

[Mills College Library]

323.1197 W684a 2011

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

The organization of the chapters is a little weird (both the order of the chapters and sections within them), but otherwise a clear and fairly
comprehensive overview of a complicated topic.