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book: The Burden of History
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The Burden of History

Colonialism and the Frontier Myth in a Rural Canadian Community
Language: English
Published/Copyright: 2007

About this book

This book is an ethnography of the cultural politics of Native/non-Native relations in a small interior BC city -- Williams Lake -- at the height of land claims conflicts and tensions. Furniss analyses contemporary colonial relations in settler societies, arguing that 'ordinary' rural Euro- Canadians exercise power in maintaining the subordination of aboriginal people through 'common sense' assumptions and assertions about history, society, and identity, and that these cultural activities are forces in an ongoing, contemporary system of colonial domination. She traces the main features of the regional Euro-Canadian culture and shows how this cultural complex is thematically integrated through the idea of the frontier. Key facets of this frontier complex are expressed in diverse settings: casual conversations among Euro-Canadians; popular histories; museum displays; political discourse; public debates about aboriginal land claims; and ritual celebrations of the city's heritage.

In each setting, Furniss shows how these cultural practices contribute to the marginalization of area Shuswap [Sepwecemc], Tsilhqot'in [Chilcotin], and Carrier peoples, and how area Native people are continually engaging in diverse and innovative modes of resistance to the dominant regional culture.

Author / Editor information

Elizabeth Furniss is an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology, University of Calgary.

Reviews

This book, a study of cultural politics in Williams Lake, British Columbia, is an admirable exponent of this reinvention of ethnography ... the book is a refreshing portrait of diversity both within and between the aboriginal and nonaboriginal communities, and the variety of views represented shows the complexity of the issues within their proper historical and cultural contexts.
--- Provides a deep examination of Aboriginal and Euro-Canadian relations in the city of Williams Lake, British Columbia. I recommend this book to those concerned with British Columbia, the culture of the frontier in North America, or the relations between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples.

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    Front Matter

    i
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    Contents

    v
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    Preface

    vii
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    Culture and Colonialism in Rural British Columbia

    3
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    The Burden of History

    27
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    The Landscape of Public History: Pioneers, Progress, and the Myth of the Frontier

    53
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    Mobilizing History: Regional Identities, Pioneer Traditions, and the Frontier Myth in Political Discourse

    79
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    Indians, Whites, and Common-Sense Racism

    104
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    Encountering Histories: The Land Claims Public Forum

    138
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    Re-creating the Wild West: Negotiating Indianness in the Williams Lake Stampede

    164
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    The Frontier Complex: Conclusions and Comments

    186
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    Notes

    205
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    References

    221
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    Index

    233
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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
August 15, 2023
eBook ISBN:
9780774852210
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Main content:
237
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https://doi.org/10.59962/9780774852210
eBook ISBN: 9780774852210
Audience(s) for this book
For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research
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