Encyclopedia of American Indian Issues Today: [2 volumes]

by Russell M. Lawson (Editor)

Overview

This essential reference examines the history, culture, and modern tribal concerns of American Indians in North America.

Despite the fact that 565 federally recognized tribes exist on the continent of North America, non-Native Americans typically know very little about the modern world of American Indians. In a few instances, the uneasy coexistence of the two cultures has served to create controversy, such as fake Indians fraudulently leveraging ethnicity-based benefits, U.S. officials disposing of nuclear waste near reservations, and sports clubs basing mascots on cultural stereotypes. This unique survey scrutinizes the historical background as well as the contemporary issues of American Indian societies as both part of—and completely separate from—the world around them.

Encyclopedia of American Indian Issues Today features subjects commonly discussed, including reservations, poverty, sovereignty, the problem of solid waste on reservations, and the lives of urban Indians, among other contemporary issues. Organized into ten sections, the book also provides helpful sidebars and informative essays to address topics on casinos and gaming, sexual identity, education, and poverty.

• Sidebars with additional information, resources, and primary source excerpts
• Contributions from top scholars in the field
• Bibliographies at the end of each essay for additional research

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313381447
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	04/02/2013
Pages:	867
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 10.30(h) x 2.40(d)

About the Author

Russell M. Lawson, PhD, is professor of history at Bacone College, Muskogee, OK.

Editorial Reviews

"This new encyclopedic set is a useful acquisition for all academic libraries, particularly those that support Native studies." - Choice

"A valuable and readable source for public, high school, and college libraries." - Booklist

"A plethora of information is found in the 85 essays that comprise this encyclopedia. . . . Students doing reports and readers seeking more facts and an enriched understanding of Native Americans in the 21st century will find this an effective reference." - Library Journal

From the Publisher

A plethora of information is found in the 85 essays that comprise this encyclopedia edited by Lawson (history, Bacone Coll., Muskogee, OK; Poverty in America: An Encyclopedia). Divided into ten sections, the essays explore many contemporary topics pertinent to Native Americans, including gaming, sports mascots, tourism on reservations, substance abuse, repatriation, civil rights, and environmental colonialism. The essays are also rich in historical explanation of past Native American and Euro-American relations, offering facts that will help readers understand the conditions and issues facing Native Americans today. Many contributors cite the latest statistics in their discussions of a host of topics including education, poverty on reservations and among Native Americans in urban areas, unemployment, literacy, domestic violence, and health care. In addition to these social issues, other essays address political and legal topics such as Indian sovereignty, the U.S. Constitution, tribal courts, and law enforcement on Indian lands. One section focuses on ideas and issues pertaining to Indian identity, spirituality, and traditional and modern thought. Other essays take up the issues of art and music, including discussions of how Native Americans have been misrepresented by the media, the phenomenon of "fake Indians," and how myth often trumps reality. A final section contains essays concerning aboriginal peoples in Canada and human rights for indigenous peoples worldwide. Supplemental information, much of it from primary sources, appears in 60 sidebars scattered throughout the work. References are listed at the conclusion of each essay, a highlight of the volumes. VERDICT Students doing reports and readers seeking more facts and an enriched understanding of Native Americans in the 21st century will find this an effective reference.—Patricia Ann Owens, formerly with Illinois Eastern Community Colls., Mt. Carmel

Library Journal