Ways of Knowing : An Introduction to Native Studies in Canada

by Yale D. Belanger

This text is a historically grounded look at the wide variety of issues that inform the lives of Native peoples in Canada today. The book is divided into four sections: Philosophy and Worldview, History, Political Economy, and Contemporary Issues. In addition to those topics commonly considered in existing texts, such as health, politics, self-government, and urban reserves, Belanger includes unique chapters on Native philosophy, language, art and literature, and writing about Native history and Native issues. This text is designed to satisfy the needs identified by students, while presenting an academic interpretation illustrative of how Native people in Canada scrutinize the last four centuries of contact. It also highlights the socio-political and socio-economic challenges impacting Native leaders and their communities nationally. Belanger avoids historicizing Native people. Rather, the text contextualizes the larger historical narrative while also demonstrating how history continues to inform the evolution of self-government, urban reserve development, literature, and health. Written in a narrative style that largely avoids technical language, this book is unique in that it is written for lower-division students being introduced for the first time to Native issues framed from an academic perspective.

Genres: History, Indigenous, Textbooks, Nonfiction

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Dr. Yale D. Belanger is an assistant professor of Native American Studies at the University of Lethbridge. His doctoral work at Trent University focused on the emergence and evolution of Aboriginal political organizations in late 19th- and early 20th-century Canada.

Reviews

[catto doggoland]

Very informative, but a very difficult read! Belanger muses often in his book, and this costs the reader time to try and decipher his Yoda-like grammar. Other than that, good information.

[Bashara Hussain]

Didn't complete, but insightful first few chapters.