Violence and indigenous communities : confronting the past and engaging the present /

Scholars have long acknowledged the relationship between colonialism and violence, the legacy of which continues to afflict many individuals and communities. Violence and Indigenous Communities is an interdisciplinary collection of 15 essays that affirms not only the multidimensional relationship between colonialism and violence but also the protean character of violence indigenous people experience. The essays, organized into five thematic sections, explore a wide range of interrelated topics from a multitude of perspectives. The first section sets the stage by arguing for a broader comprehension of violence beyond historical narratives of war and massacres. Colonial violence, as section 2 details, involves ideological and material attacks on cultural heritage. Cultural erasure occurs through the destruction, marginalization, and appropriation of indigenous material culture and cultural production. Such violent acts committed under colonial agendas give rise to resistance and survivance. The six essays in sections 3 and 4 elucidate aspects of indigenous agency and activism, employed to counter contemporary manifestations of colonial violence. This eclectic volume concludes with a plea, in section 5, to open new lines of inquiry into the violence imposed upon indigenous peoples and stimulate further discussion. Summing Up: Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals. --Gregory Ray Campbell, University of Montana