As both colonizer and colonized (sometimes even simultaneously), women were uniquely positioned at the axis of the colonial encounter – the so-called “contact zone” – between Aboriginals and newcomers. Aboriginal women shaped identities for themselves in both worlds. By recognizing the necessity to “perform,” they enchanted and educated white audiences across Canada. On the other side of the coin, newcomers imposed increasing regulation on Aboriginal women’s bodies. Contact Zones provides insight into the ubiquity and persistence of colonial discourse. What bodies belonged inside the nation, who were outsiders, and who transgressed the rules – these are the questions at the heart of this provocative book.

Myra Rutherdale (1961-2014) was associate professor of history at York University.

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• Winner, Best Article on the History of Sexuality in Canada, Canadian Historical Association
• Cecilia Morgan’s chapter was awarded the Hilda Neatby Prize in Canadian Women's History.
• Jean Barman’s chapter won the award from the Canadian Committee on the History of Sexuality.

[The book] is an ambitious attempt to review Canadian history and the building of the Canadian nation form a radically different perspective. It is an original work of interest to those researching the topic of womanhood and racial categorization in colonial English Canada.

Canadian Ethnic Studies, Vol. XXXVIII, No. 2, 2006