'Enough to Keep Them Alive': Indian Social Welfare in Canada, 1873-1965 / Edition 1

by Hugh E.Q. Shewell

Overview

Far from being a measure of progress or humanitarian aid, Indian welfare policy in Canada was used deliberately to oppress and marginalize First Nations peoples and to foster their assimilation into the dominant society. 'Enough to Keep Them Alive' explores the history of the development and administration of social assistance policies on Indian reserves in Canada from confederation to the modern period, demonstrating a continuity of policy with roots in the pre-confederation practices of fur trading companies.

Extensive archival evidence from the Indian Affairs record group at the National Archives of Canada is supplemented for the post-World War Two era by interviews with some of the key federal players. More than just an historical narrative, the book presents a critical analysis with a clear theoretical focus drawing on colonial and post-colonial theory, social theory, and critiques of liberalism and liberal democracy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802086105
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
Publication date:	02/07/2004
Series:	Heritage Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	454
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.02(h) x 1.26(d)

About the Author

Hugh E.Q. Shewell is an associate professor in the School of Social Work at York University.

Table of Contents

	Preface	ix
1	Themes and Issues	3
2	The Context of Relief Policy Development at the Time of Confederation	25
3	The Development of Rudimentary Relief Administration during the Initial Period of Subjugation, 1873-1912	41
4	Relief Policy and the Consolidation of Subjugation, 1913-1944	93
5	Other Influences: The Transition to the Period of Citizenship, 1918-1944	134
6	Citizenship: The General Context of Postwar Indian Welfare Policy	171
7	The Influence of the Social Sciences: The Secular Understanding of the 'Other'	207
8	The Emergence of Indian Welfare Bureaucracy, 1945-1960	228
9	The Indian in Transition: Social Welfare and Provincial Services, 1959-1965	260
10	Shooting an Elephant in Canada	322
	Notes	343
	Bibliography	403
	Index	417

What People are Saying About This

Peter Kulchyski

'The research is impressive, meticulous and entirely sound; the author has waded through an extraordinary mass of archival research and come out with a coherent and cogent analysis. The book will be as close to a definitive account of the history of Aboriginal welfare as we are likely to see. It will be essential reading for any of those interested in the background to current conditions in First Nations communities, or in the development of policy respecting Aboriginal peoples, or in the last century of Aboriginal-newcomer relations in Canada. Those who would still like to ascribe the poverty so prevalent in Aboriginal communities to Aboriginal peoples themselves will find they are the latest bearers of an entrenched colonial legacy that has manifestly failed.'

Editorial Reviews

'The research is impressive, meticulous and entirely sound; the author has waded through an extraordinary mass of archival research and come out with a coherent and cogent analysis. The book will be as close to a definitive account of the history of Aboriginal welfare as we are likely to see. It will be essential reading for any of those interested in the background to current conditions in First Nations communities, or in the development of policy respecting Aboriginal peoples, or in the last century of Aboriginal-newcomer relations in Canada. Those who would still like to ascribe the poverty so prevalent in Aboriginal communities to Aboriginal peoples themselves will find they are the latest bearers of an entrenched colonial legacy that has manifestly failed.'

—Peter Kulchyski, Department of Native Studies, University of Manitoba

From the Publisher