Applied Anthropology in Canada: Understanding Aboriginal Issues

by Edward J. Hedican

Overview

Anthropologists are often reluctant to present their work relating to matters of a broad social context to the wider public even though many have much to say about a range of contemporary issues. In this second edition of a classic work in the field, Edward J. Hedican takes stock of Anthroplogy's research on current indigenous affairs and offers an up-to-date assessment of Aboriginal issues in Canada from the perspective of applied Anthropology.

In his central thesis, Hedican underlines Anthropology's opportunity to make a significant impact on the way Aboriginal issues are studied, perceived, and interpreted in Canada. He contends that anthropologists must quit lingering on the periphery of debates concerning land claims and race relations and become more actively committed to the public good. His study ranges over such challenging topics as advocacy roles in Aboriginal studies, the ethics of applied research, policy issues in community development, the political context of the self-government debate, and the dilemma of Aboriginal status and identity in Canada.

Applied Anthropology in Canada is an impassioned call for a revitalized Anthropology - one more directly attuned to the practical problems faced by First Nations peoples. Hedican's focus on Aboriginal issues gives his work a strong contemporary relevance that bridges the gap between scholarly and public spheres.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442693180
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press
Publication date:	07/05/2008
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Edward J. Hedican is a professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Guelph. He is the author of Ipperwash: The Tragic Failure of Canada's Aboriginal Policy and Applied Anthropology in Canada: Understanding Aboriginal Issues.

Table of Contents

Preface to the First Edition     xi
Preface to the Second Edition     xiii
Acknowledgments     xv
Introduction     3
What's in a Name? Definitions and Terminology     5
Aboriginal Issues in Canada: Historical Dimensions     11
Contemporary Aboriginal Issues: An Overview     14
The Emergence of Anthropology in Canada     17
Anthropology in Canada after the 1960s     22
The Scope of the Book     27
Anthropology and Aboriginal Studies     28
Introduction     28
The Philosophy of Cultural Relativism     29
Professional Ethics in Anthropology     34
Research on Aboriginal Land Claims     38
Restless Natives?     40
Anthropology as Image-Maker     42
Fieldwork: Anthropology as a Close Encounter     45
Research in Anishenabe Country     47
Understanding Fieldwork Situations     54
Learning from Fieldwork Experiences     56
Conclusion     59
Research Strategies: Advocacy in Anthropology     60
Introduction     60
The Advocacy Question in Applied Anthropology     62
Culture and Commitment     66
The Notion of Social Responsibility     67
Advocates and Consultants among the James Bay Cree     69
Advocacy as Conflict Management     71
Brokers: Bridging the Culture Gap     74
The Anti-Advocacy Position     77
Land Claims and the Advocate Role     82
Ethical Considerations in Aboriginal Studies     87
Conclusion     89
The Controversial Side of Applied Anthropology: Notes from Northern Ontario     91
Introduction     91
The Whitesand Land Problem     92
Some Historical Dimensions of the Issue     93
University Involvement     96
The Problem of Role Enactment     97
The Mediator Role     99
The Facilitator Role     101
The Animator Role     102
Conclusion     104
Postscript     107
Aboriginal Policy Issues: Anthropological Perspectives     109
Introduction     109
Anthropological Perspectives on Public Policy     110
Research on Aboriginal Issues: Some Contradictions     115
In Anthropology's Defence     117
The Corridors of Power     118
The Land-Base Problem      123
Country Food Production: The Hidden Native Economy     126
Hunting and Wage Work: The Economic Balancing Act     132
Who Owns the Wilderness?     135
Algonquin Provincial Park     136
Anthropology and Aboriginal Rights     138
The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples     140
The Ipperwash Inquiry (2007)     143
Appropriation of the Stoney Point Reserve     143
The Occupation of Camp Ipperwash     145
Entering Ipperwash Provincial Park     146
The Shooting of Dudley George     149
Recommendations of the Ipperwash Inquiry     150
Discussion of the Ipperwash Inquiry Recommendations     151
Conclusion     153
Development in Aboriginal Communities: Economic Strategies and Policies     156
Introduction     156
Views on Development     158
Development and the Politics of Dependency     159
Native Women and Development Issues     166
Prospects for Change     169
The Service Sector Economy     170
Development among the James Bay Cree     173
The 'Cultural Dependency' Question     177
Conclusion     179
The Political Context of Aboriginal Issues: Self-Government and Institutional Structures     182
Introduction     182
Institutional Frameworks     183
Education Cutbacks: Policy Dilemma or Institutional Neglect?     185
An Institutional Problem: The Non-Reserve Native Community     188
The Problem of 'Ethno-Status' Distinctions     190
The Anthropologist and Aboriginal Issues     192
Municipal Incorporation: Prospects for Change     194
The Northern Communities Act     195
The Self-Government Issue     196
Administrative Control and Self-Government     197
The Politics of Encapsulation     199
The Imposition of Non-Indigenous Political Structures     202
The Municipal Model of Self-Government: The Sechelt Case     204
Administrative Dependency and Control: The Fort Hope Case     209
Welfare Colonialism?     211
Nunavut: Canada's New Land     212
The Inuit and Aboriginal Issues     214
Conclusion     217
The Ethnopolitics of Aboriginal Status and Identity     219
Introduction     219
The Concept of Indianness     220
Canada as a Multicultural Society     222
The Politics of Ethnic Identity      226
Bill C-31 Update     227
Aboriginal Ethnic Identity     229
Natives as Ethnics?     232
Racism versus Ethnicity     233
Aboriginal Ethnopolitics in Canada     237
The Metis Experience     241
The Micmac: Negotiating Ethnic Identity     244
Reclaiming Aboriginal Identity: Education and Community Change     245
Conclusion     246
Applied Anthropology: Challenges for Today and Tomorrow     248
Introduction     248
Ethics, Advocacy, and Aboriginal Issues     249
Research, Policies, and Community Development     251
Aboriginal Studies in Anthropology     255
Aboriginal Self-Determination     256
Conclusion     259
References     261
Index     287

Editorial Reviews

Broad topics include anthropology and aboriginal studies; research strategies; the controversial side of applied anthropology; anthropological perspectives on aboriginal policy issues; development in aboriginal communities; the political context; the ethno-politics of aboriginal status and identity; and challenges to applied anthropology. Paper edition (unseen), $18.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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