Red Skin, White Masks
Rejecting the Colonial Politics of Recognition
Format:Paperback
Publisher:University of Minnesota Press
Published:7th Sep '14
Should be back in stock very soon
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£56.00(9780816679645)
This book critiques the concept of recognition in Indigenous-state relations, advocating for self-recognition and exploring decolonization strategies. Red Skin, White Masks offers fresh insights into Indigenous resistance movements.
Over the past four decades, recognition has emerged as a pivotal framework for negotiating relationships between nation-states and Indigenous nations across North America. In Red Skin, White Masks, Glen Sean Coulthard critically examines the implications of this recognition, particularly as it pertains to Indigenous cultural distinctiveness, self-governance, and land rights. He argues that the prevailing discourse surrounding recognition often fails to address the historical injustices faced by Indigenous peoples, leading to a superficial acknowledgment rather than meaningful change.
Coulthard challenges the notion that reconciliation can be achieved through recognition alone. Instead, he advocates for a politics rooted in self-recognition, which emphasizes the importance of Indigenous cultural practices and identities that do not rely on validation from colonial powers. By exploring a 'place-based' interpretation of Marx's theory of primitive accumulation, Coulthard sheds light on the complex dynamics of Indigenous-state relations, illustrating how these relationships are sustained and perpetuated over time.
Furthermore, Red Skin, White Masks engages with significant Indigenous resistance movements, such as Red Power and Idle No More, offering new perspectives on the politics of decolonization. Coulthard's work is a call to rethink the strategies employed in the pursuit of justice and autonomy for Indigenous peoples, advocating for a deeper understanding of their struggles against settler-colonial power structures.
"While Red Skin, White Masks focuses on indigenous experiences in Canada, it is immediately applicable to understanding the false promise of recognition, liberal pluralism, and reconciliation at the heart of colonial relationships between indigenous peoples and nation-states elsewhere. Glen Sean Coulthard is able to bring a remarkably distinctive and provocative look at issues of power and opposition relevant to anyone concerned with what constitutes and perpetuates imperialist state formations and what indigenous alternatives offer in regards to freedom."—Joanne Barker, San Francisco State University
"Red Skin, White Masks offers a sustained, well-informed, and sophisticated critique of the recognition paradigm as an effective theoretical frame for projects of decolonization."—Paul Patton, University of New South Wales
"Red Skin, White Masks is not only a landmark contribution to political theory, it is also a call to action."—Briarpatch Magazine
"A must read."—Contemporary Political Theory
"Highly recommended for those interested in understanding Indigenous movements and social movements in particular."—CHOICE
"Coulthard proposes a new narrative of Canadian history in which non-Aboriginals will have to recognize that our society is fundamentally shaped by Aboriginal culture and come to terms with a much greater level of power sharing than we so far have contemplated."—GEIST
"A timely book, resonant with the frustration of Indigenous communities who have pursued formal political negotiations with the Canadian settler colonial state for decades without meaningful change."—Antipode
"Coulthard’s fundamental insight is that we urgently need a new theory and practice of settler decolonization."—Native American and Indigenous Studies Journal
"The rich ideas that are shared throughout the book serve to raise the consciousness of not only non-Aboriginal readers, but those who are First Nations and committed to the continued examinations of the critical thresholds of colonial practices."—The Canadian Journal of Native Studies
"U.S. historians should heed the example set by Coulthard so that readers can better understand the self-determination activities and efforts of native nations today."—Journal of American History
"A brilliant contribution to the fields of political theory and critical Indigenous studies, offering remarkable explanatory power for state-Indigenous relations in Canada today."—Stefan Andreas Kipfer in AAG Review of Books
"Red Skin, White Masks provides a much needed analysis of Indigenous struggles articulated through a politics fueled not by harmony and pacification, but by grounded theory, which wraps us in an affective decolonial terrain that fosters a commitment to mobilize ourselves."—Sarah Hunt in AAG Review of Books
"Red Skin, White Masks deserves to be widely read, in political philosophy and by all those concerned with furthering justice in an unequal, unjust world."—Theoria: A Journal of Social and Political Theory
"His critical discussions of the theories of recognition, multiculturalism and identity politics are fresh and engaging."—Political Studies Review
- Winner of Red Skin, White Masks 2015
ISBN: 9780816679652
Dimensions: 216mm x 140mm x 38mm
Weight: unknown
256 pages