The Theatre of Regret

The Theatre of Regret reveals the role that Indigenous and allied literatures in challenging state-centred discourses of reconciliation in Canada.

The Theatre of Regret reveals the role that Indigenous and allied literatures play in challenging state-centred discourses of reconciliation in Canada.

David Gaertner is an assistant professor in the Institute of Critical Indigenous Studies at the University of British Columbia. His articles have appeared in Canadian Literature, American Indian Cultural and Research Journal, and Bioethical Inquiry, among other publications. He is the editor of Sôhkêyihta: The Poetry of Sky Dancer Louise Bernice Halfe and co-editor, with Sophie McCall, Deanna Reder, and Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill, of Read, Listen, Tell: Indigenous Stories from Turtle Island.

…Gaertner argues that it is imperative reconciliation centres Indigenous perspective and creates space for Indigenous voices. The Theatre of Regret does just this with depth and flair…

Christine Anonuevo, University of Northern British Columbia:

The Theatre of Regret is a timely book that implores Canadian settlers to look at the uncomfortable truth of the narratives we tell ourselves: the truth of residential schools and the truth of ongoing settler colonialism and violence.

Melanie Braith, University of Winnipeg.:

The Theatre of Regret offers a thought-provoking critique of "reconciliation" as it has been captured by settler colonialism.

Jonathan Nash, Department of English, University of Victoria:
Theatre of Regret is a significant contribution to the studies of transitional justice and reconciliation literature.

Pauline Wakeham, coeditor of Reconciling Canada: Critical Perspectives on the Culture of Redress:

The Theatre of Regret makes a vital contribution to discussions about reconciliation in Canada by foregrounding the importance of Indigenous literatures for engaging, troubling, and, most crucially, speaking far beyond reconciliation’s limits. Gaertner listens deeply to how Indigenous artists speak truths that cannot be unheard and give resonant voice to world-altering ways of living in good relation.