Indigenous Peoples and the Modern State

Finally, a book on indigenous peoples of the North American continent, from the Arctic to Mesoamerica, a distinctly different version of the North American Free Trade Agreement—NAFTA—the cause of the Zapatista indigenous uprising in Mexico. Indigenous Peoples and the Modern State is a valuable addition to indigenous literature and will be a useful text for indigenous studies courses. -- Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz, California State University, Hayward, Director of Indigenous World Association
Indigenous Peoples and the Modern State offers a broad and richly comparative study critically analyzing the generally contentious but occasionally cooperative relationships between aboriginal peoples and three contemporary states—U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Utilizing a 'trilateral' approach, the contributors focus on cultural identity, land, sovereignty, leadership, economics, intellectual property, and other topics that continue to animate the evolving relationship between Native nations and the states that formed in their midst. -- University of Minnesota
This innovative collection is the only one I know of that examines indigenous issues in all three North American states: Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. While the three situations are very different, they are ripe for comparative analysis. The lens here is wide-angled, providing welcome introductions to a host of issues from politics to economy, from culture to intellectual property and indigenous knowledge. -- Stephen Cornell
These essays and discussions collected fill a critical gap in our understanding of indigenous peoples. The collection, via comparative examination of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, break out of an overly narrow focus on indigenous peoples within one state, to subtly highlight the similarities and differences among indigenous peoples in various states. -- Thomas D. Hall, Lester M. Jones Professor of Sociology, DePauw University, and editor of A World-Systems Reader