1. Home
  2. INST
  3. INST 420: Indigenous Resistance (Revision C2)

INST 420: Indigenous Resistance (Revision C2) Report a Broken Link

A three-credit, senior-level course designed to give you a broad survey of the diverse forms of Indigenous resistance to colonialism by highlighting the perspectives of Indigenous peoples.

Unit One: Colonization and Contestation

Ladner, K. (2008). Aysaka’paykinit: Contesting the rope around the nations’ neck. In M. Smith (Ed.), Group politics and social movements in Canada (pp. 227–249). Peterborough ON: Broadview.

Read pages  227–249.
Marshall, D., Sr. (1989). The Mi’kmaq: The confrontation and the covenant chain. In B. Richardson (Ed.), Drum beat: Anger and renewal in Indian country (pp. 71–104). Ottawa, ON: Summerhill.
Akwesasne Notes. (1978). Thoughts of peace: The great law. In Akwesasne Notes (Ed.), Basic call to consciousness (pp. 9–17). Summertown, TN: Book Publishing Company.
Benton-Banai, E. (1988). The migration of the Anishnabe. In The mishomis book (pp. 94–102). Hayward WI: Indian Country Communication.
Required Reading for Students Without a Background in Indigneous Studies:
Ladner, K. (2004). Rethinking Aboriginal governance. In Brodie, J., & Trimble. L. (Eds.), Reinventing Canada: Politics of the 21st century (pp. 43–60). Toronto: Prentice Hall Canada.
Government of Canada Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. (1996). Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, Vol. 1, Part 1, Chapter 3–7.

Read  Part 1, Chapter 3–7. Also available at http://caid.ca/DRepRoyCommAborigPple.html

Unit Two: Western Political Theories and Indigenous Peoples

Smith, M. (2008). Theories of group and movement organizing. In M. Smith (Ed.), Group politics and social movements in Canada (pp. 15–33). Peterborough ON: Broadview.

Read pages 15–33.
Champagne, D. (2006). Native-directed social change in Canada and the United States. American Behavioral Scientist, 50(4), 428–449.
Wilkes, R. (2006). The protest actions of indigenous peoples: A Canadian–US comparison of social movement emergence. American Behavioral Scientist 50(4), 510–525.
Alfred, T. (2005). Rebellion of the truth. In Author (Ed.), Wasáse: Indigenous pathways of action and freedom (pp. 39–100). Peterborough, ON: Broadview.

Read pages  39–100.

Unit Three: Defining Moments of the Past

McCleod, N. (2007). Rethinking Treaty 6 in the spirit of mistahi-maskwa (Big Bear). In Cree narrative memory: From treaties to contemporary times (pp. 33–43). Saskatoon, SK: Purich.
McCleod, N. (2007). ka-miyikowisiyahk: What the powers have given us. In Cree narrative memory: From treaties to contemporary times (pp. 44–53). Saskatoon, SK: Purich.
Weinstein, J. (2007). The rise and fall of the new nation. In Quiet revolution west: The rebirth of Métis nationalism (pp. 1–22, 214–215). Calgary, AB: Fifth House.
Weinstein, J. (2007). In search of representation. In Quiet revolution west: The rebirth of Métis nationalism (pp. 23–36, 210–213, 216–217). Calgary, AB: Fifth House.

Unit Four: Indigenous Organizing and Mobilization, 1950s–1990s

Nagel, J. (1996). Red power: Reforging identity and culture. In American Indian ethnic renewal: Red Power and the resurgence of identity and culture (pp. 158–178). New York: Oxford University.

Read pages 158–178.
Sanders, D.E. (1985). The Indian lobby and the Canadian constitution, 1978–1982. In Dyck, N. (Ed.), Indigenous peoples and the nation-state: “Fourth world” politics in Canada, Australia and Norway (pp. 157–198). St. John’s Newfoundland: Institution of Social and Economic Research, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Unit Five: Indigenous Peoples and Contemporary Acts of Resistance

Alfred, T. (2005). First words. In Wasáse: Indigenous pathways of action and freedom (pp. 19–38). Peterborough, ON: Broadview.

Read pages  19–38.

Unit Six: Post-Colonial Theory and Indigenous Experiences in Canada

Bannerji, H. (2001). Geography lessons: On being an insider/outsider to the Canadian nation. In C.C. Sugars (Ed.), Unhomely states: Theorizing English-Canadian postcolonialism (pp. 289–300). Peterborough, ON: Broadview.
Razack, S. (2001). To essentialize or not to essentialize: is that the question? In C.C. Sugars (Ed.), Unhomely states: Theorizing English-Canadian postcolonialism (pp. 323–331). Peterborough, ON: Broadview.
King, T. (2001). Godzilla vs. post-colonial. In C.C. Sugars (Ed.), Unhomely states: Theorizing English-Canadian postcolonialism (pp. 183–190). Peterborough, ON: Broadview.
Maracle, L. (2001). The post-colonial imagination. In Sugars, C.C. (Ed.), Unhomely states: Theorizing English-Canadian postcolonialism (pp. 204–208). Peterborough, ON: Broadview.
Battiste, M. (2001). Unfolding the lessons of colonialism. In C.C. Sugars (Ed.), Unhomely states: Theorizing English-Canadian postcolonialism (pp. 209–217). Peterborough, ON: Broadview.

Unit Seven: Resistance in the Academy: Indigenist/Decolonizing Theory

Henderson, S.Y. (2000). Postcolonial ghost dancing: diagnosing European colonialism. In Battiste, M. (Ed.), Reclaiming Indigenous voice and vision (pp. 57–77). Vancouver, BC: UBC.

Read pages 57–77.
Also available at https://0-ebookcentral-proquest-com.aupac.lib.athabascau.ca/lib/athabasca-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3412130.
Mihesuah, D.A. (2004). Academic gatekeepers. In  Mihesuah, D. A., &  Wilson, A.C. (Eds.), Indigenizing the academy: Transforming scholarship and empowering communities (pp. 31–47). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.
Alfred, T. (2004). Warrior scholarship: Seeing the university as a ground of contention. In Mihesuah, D. A., &  Wilson, A.C. (Eds.), Indigenizing the academy: Transforming scholarship and empowering communities (pp. 88-100). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.
Smith, L.T. (1999). Introduction. In Decolonizing methodologies: Research and Indigenous peoples (pp. 1–18). London, UK: Zed Books.
Smith, L.T. (1999). Imperialism, history, writing and theory. In Decolonizing methodologies: Research and Indigenous peoples (pp. 19–40). London, UK: Zed Books.

Unit Eight: Contesting Academic Disciplines

Deloria, V., Jr. (1997). Behind the buckskin curtain. In Red earth, white lies: Native Americans and the myth of scientific fact (pp. 1–22). Golden, CO: Fulcrum.

You are not required to complete all readings for Unit 8. See Unit 8 Reading Assignment for details.
Deloria, V., Jr. (1997). Science and the oral tradition. In Red earth, white lies: Native Americans and the myth of scientific fact (pp. 23–45). Golden, CO: Fulcrum.

You are not required to complete all readings for Unit 8. See Unit 8 Reading Assignment for details.
Simpson, L. (2004).  Anticolonial strategies for the recovery and maintenance of Indigenous knowledge. American Indian Quarterly, 28(3/4), 373–385.

You are not required to complete all readings for Unit 8. See Unit 8 Reading Assignment for details.
Turner, D. (2006). Towards a critical Indigenous philosophy. In This is not a peace pipe:  Towards a critical Indigenous philosophy (pp. 94–121). Toronto: University of Toronto.

You are not required to complete all readings for Unit 8. See Unit 8 Reading Assignment for details.
Borrows, J. (2002). With or without you: First Nations law in Canada. In Recovering Canada:  The resurgence of Indigenous law (pp. 3–28). Toronto: University of Toronto.

You are not required to complete all readings for Unit 8. See Unit 8 Reading Assignment for details.
Monture-Angus, P. A. (1999).  To break with the past:  Searching for the meaning of self-determination. In Journeying forward:  Dreaming First Nations independence (pp. 21–39). Halifax, NS: Fernwood.

Read pages 21–39. You are not required to complete all readings for Unit 8. See Unit 8 Reading Assignment for details.
Vizenor, G. (1994). PostIndian warriors. In Manifest manners:  Narratives on PostIndian survivance (pp. 1–44). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska.

You are not required to complete all readings for Unit 8. See Unit 8 Reading Assignment for details.
Justice, D.H. (2006). Beyond the civilized savage. In Our fire survives the storm:  A Cherokee literary history (pp. 19–42).  Minneapolis: University of Minnesota.

You are not required to complete all readings for Unit 8. See Unit 8 Reading Assignment for details.
Womack, C.S. (1999).  Reading the oral tradition for nationalist themes: Beyond ethnography. In Red on red:  Native American literary separatism (pp. 51–75). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota.

You are not required to complete all readings for Unit 8. See Unit 8 Reading Assignment for details.

Unit Nine: Indigenous Women, Dissent, and Mobilization

Smith, A. (2005). Sexual violence as a tool of genocide. In Conquest: Sexual violence and American Indian genocide (pp. 7–33). Boston, MA: South End.

Also available at https://rosswolfe.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/andrea-smith-conquest-sexual-violence-and-american-indian-genocide-2005.pdf
Smith, A. (2005). Boarding school abuses and the case for reparations. In Conquest: Sexual violence and American Indian genocide (pp. 35–54). Boston, MA: South End.
Ouellette, G. (2002). The Aboriginal Women’s Movement. In The Fourth World: An Indigenous perspective on feminism and Aboriginal women’s activism (pp. 29–50). Halifax, NS: Fernwood.

Read pages 29–50.
Anderson, K. (2000). Foundations of resistance. In Recognition of being: Reconstructing Native womanhood (pp. 116–136). Toronto, ON: Second Story.

Read pages 116–136.
Anderson, K. (2000). Acts of resistance. In Recognition of being: Reconstructing Native womanhood (pp. 137–149). Toronto, ON: Second Story.

Read pages 137–149.
Anderson, K. (2000). Attitudes of resistance. In Recognition of being: Reconstructing Native womanhood (pp. 150–153). Toronto, ON: Second Story.

Read pages 150–153.
Simpson, L. (2006). Birthing an Indigenous resurgence: Decolonizing our pregnancy and birth ceremonies. In O’Reilly, A., Harvard, D.M., & Lavalle, J.C. (Eds.), “Until our hearts are on the ground”: Aboriginal mothering, oppression, resistance and rebirth (pp. 25–33ff). Toronto, ON: Demeter.

Unit Ten: The International Movement for Indigenous Rights

LaDuke, W. (1999). White earth: A lifeway in the forest. In All our relations: Native struggles for land and life (pp. 112–134). Cambridge, MA: South End.
Trask, H.-K. (1999). Hawaiians and human rights. In From a Native daughter: Colonialism and sovereignty in Hawai’i (2nd ed.) (pp. 25–39). Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i.
Russell, p. (2006). Colonialism contested and the winds of change. In Recognizing Aboriginal title: The Mabo Case and Indigenous resistance to English-settler colonialism (pp. 120–152). Toronto: University of Toronto.
Fenge, T. (2003). POPS and Inuit: influencing the global agenda. In Fenge, T., & Downie, D.L. (Eds.), Northern lights against POPs: Combating toxic threats in the Arctic (pp. 192–213). Montreal, QC: McGill-Queens University.

Read pages 192–211.
Also available at http://0-www.deslibris.ca.aupac.lib.athabascau.ca/ID/400283